Saotome Ranma, Wiseman, Book 2
by Maximara
Summary: Ranma had meet a possible future version of himself but in preparing for Sailor Galazia will he and the Gray Moon Clan change the path of vengeance another version of him has choose?
1. Ch01 Sailor Nemesis

Ranma 1/2 is the creation of Rumiko Takahashi and Sailor Moon is the creation of Naoko Takeuchi. This fan-fiction isn't intended for commercial use but is rather a tribute to Ranma 1/2 and Sailor Moon.

This is a continuation of Saotome Ranma, Wiseman Book 1 which should be read first as otherwise little will make sense.

Chapter 1 – Sailor Nemesis

It was hard to tell who was more nervous, Hotaru or Mistress 9. Ranma had figured out that Mistress 9 wasn't feeding so much on ki but converting it into something she could actually "eat" - soul energy. It was sobering to realize that possible future version of himself had actually made a mistake even with 1000 years under his belt.

Mistress 9 had even figured out that converting _yin_ ki was an option – something Ranma himself had overlooked. She had gotten so good that she and Hotaru felt they could attempt to enter the yin ki pocket reality of the Phoenix Republic. But as a safety measure Eclipse was coming along with her just completed Ginzuishou crystal with the hope its passive yang ki would be enough to give them time to get Mistress Saturn (as everyone had become to call the pair) out before something bad happened.

Speaking of something bad happening there was the fourth member of this happy little group - Bishop Shirayanagi Seiichi. Ranma wasn't looking forward to the meeting that man and Beryl were going to have. Ranma shook his head. He had to be careful how far he went with those lines of thought as he risked going Nekoken and having Princess Morganite take control. An 8 year old mind in possession of his current skills and power was frightening enough but when it was in "defense" of her sister – just best not to have that happen.

The whole thing was a little too close to one Genma's 'do and hope it doesn't blow up in your face' ideas for Ranma's liking but Beryl was pushing herself to a level where she really need to be healed quickly to continue her training. Then you have the fact that since Neith (Rei) went to a Catholic School the youma had developed an interest in that religion as well as Buddhism. Sure there was Father Bozy but the youma respected hierarchy and Bishop Shirayanagi Seiichi had to be shown that the archive weren't holding the souls of dead youma. Ranma would love to find out what baka had started that story and read them the riot act. They were called memory crystals not soul crystals for a reason.

Stepping through the portal they saw Queen Beryl, in her Sailor Nemesis outfit, sparring with a youma. Ranma frowned as he looked at the figure made from Hard Thought that now stood beside Beryl's throne. Created by Beryl herself as a place to keep Beryl's "extra set of clothes" it stood there with Beryl's dress in its outreaching arms and her crown on its head.

It had quickly become clear Beryl hadn't stopped being obsessive – she'd just changed what she was obsessive about. Beryl had taken a page from Eclipse's, no _Usagi's_ bookand was taking steps to create a new identity for herself. The problem was Beryl was also referring to herself in the third person as Usagi did regarding Sailor Moon as if they were two totally different people. Ranma wasn't sure, but his instincts were telling him that that wasn't exactly healthy. But it wasn't like there was anyone at the dojo that could really objectively confirm this.

Nabiki had become desensitized to the whole thing and thrown herself into being the head of Chapter 13 with the same vigor she had with regards to her batting pools and the like. As for everybody else at the dojo...they were all "broken" in some way. Pops was having an existential crisis regarding his training of Ranma...as well as being more afraid of the youma then Grandmaster Pervert and had become as youma spar happy as Beryl...maybe more so. His mother had memories of an alternate version of himself in her head and they were definitely effecting her behavior and perception of things. With regards to perception Kasumi was so easy going that if Pinhead from the Hellraiser movie series showed up he would be surprised if she didn't ask if he wanted some tea and so took everything around her as "normal"...or at least _appeared_ to do so. After all wasn't there that saying about the quiet ones? He and Akane had the memories of other people rattling around in their heads and so their perception was "off". The Sailor Sensei were effectively gone; with the exception of Hotaru they had been replaced with (in theory) part time youma as the remaining three had used the Pool of Drowned Youma water and would deride their old Sailor Sensei identities as "boosted pieces of food" as much as the first five had. Worse yet Ranma couldn't remember when any of them had used hot water rather then their shapeshifting ability to be human.

The only good thing had been that other then Herb and Safuran none of the insanity that Purple Wiseman had related had shown up...yet. Herb was friendly and now he was unlooked had quickly learned the ki manipulation to activate and deactivate his curse. Pops was _trying_ to learn the technique but so far he keep messing up and turning himself into what Ranma had been told was copy of an American manga (they supposedly called them comic books) character called the Human Torch...though Ranma felt Set Himself on Fire Man was a more accurate name. Safuran on the other hand still remained a cypher. He still had contempt from anyone who couldn't fly under their own power but did have some respect for someone who could fly without wings.

Beryl help up her hand. "Looks like our sparring will have to wait." Looking at the bishop as the youma stepped back she sighed. "I believe you are here to talk to the lovesick revenge crazed egoistical idiot that use to rule this place with an iron hand. Just a moment."

Beryl then sent over to the statue and removed the crown. She then removed her wig and mask putting it on the statue. As she reached for the dress Ranma spoke. "We could do without your lack of modesty."

Beryl chuckled. "That is something I need to relearn. Well when you live with humans who generally run around nude with the ability to shapeshift so none of the naughty bits are there you get to where you forget _you_ do have naughty bits." Turning to the group she gestured. "Wise...Ranma told me you would like to look at the crystal archive as well giving me a dressing down for the way I behaved for the last 12,000 years."

"That and I want to know about Teki and the youma that were with her you sent to Earth."

Beryl frowned. "I just confirmed that Danburite's group of youma were the basis for the Egyptian pantheon with their decedents likely _being_ the Egyptian pantheon. I really don't want to deal with the idea that a youma _I_ sent to Earth is the basis for Satan."

Ranma frowned. "But, you have her memory crystal."

"Which she, who knows how, has blocked access to. Not even those descended from the youma that broke away and formed their own clans can access her memories. That along with the fact it glows like she is still alive worries me. Especially given what was related about...that _thing_ that founded Anything Goes."

"Speaking of the ki draining Old Pervert I wonder what he is up to."

**~*~*Toyko, Japan*~*~**

Happosai was use to running away from enraged women...but an enraged father with a shotgun...well that was very different. One good thing...the man had seemed to have run out of ammunition a while ago as he was now using the gun like a club. Of course there was still the crowd of enraged women out for his blood. 'Now where...' thought Happosai as he rounded a corner. 'Oh _there_ they are. This is going to hurt.'

Standing on a rooftop grinning like the Chestier Cat as Happosai got pummeled was Chronos Aeon. "Got to love it when a plan comes together," she said aloud. With Crystal Tokyo off the table and the Time Space Door about as useful as a Magic 8 ball thanks to too many future variables she had gotten bored; so she had made Happosai her current "project".

Chronos Aeon then frowned. The Time Space Door refusing to work because the AI wanted to mess with her was one thing but this...well it was something else. Via text the Time Space Door showed it was frustrated as well; having some idea when Sailor Galaxia showed up would give them a better time table on how fast and hard they needed to train. She could have the gates form a construct so she could talk to them like a normal person but that would remind her too much of the Sailor Pluto construct from Purple Wiseman's timeline.

The fact the Time Space Door seemed to show frustration made her even warier of having it form a construct. What safeguards that existed to prevent her or another one else from abusing the Gate's power were totally useless if the Gate itself could sent a construct through space and time as they had seen with Purple Wiseman's timeline. Chronos hoped their world had diverged far enough that neither it or the Doom Phantom could come back.

"Don't have a more _constructive_ way to relieve the boredom?" asked a now familiar voice.

"Hello, Jadeite." sighed Chronos not bothering to turn around. "Anything more on the false flag operation in England?"

"Nothing. I have given the governments of highly populated nations a method to detect _direct_ youma energy drain. Now I will just have to wait for the reports to come in and try to clean up any mess some of _our_ old guard youma are causing and hopeful get something on who is behind the other ki energy drains." Jadeite signed. "I would prefer if we had more time to train. I think I have come up with an idea."

Chronos turned around. "It isn't Genma level of crazy is it?"

Jadeite chuckled. "No. But it is...daring. Even if the Time Space Door can't do this I think the Stargates _might_ be able to pull it off. The whole thing depends on time being asynchronous on the two ends."

Chronos frowned and then her eyes widened "Go to an alternate timeline and train there while time here is slowed down relative to it."

Jadeite nodded. "There are a lot of logistics. First, just how powerful are the two crystals on their own as anything we leave here will be off the resource table."

Chronos nodded. "As demonstrated by Death Reborn Revolution insanely powerful. Heck, Thoth has even started calling the Moon Kingdom's ki based technology 'Clarktech' due to how many physical laws it appears to break."

"Like the Stargates themselves," commented Jadeite. "We've seen with the creation of the Dark Kingdom that they had the ability to create pocket realities with more then three physical dimensions."

"Who knows what they have now."

"There may be no remnants of the Moon Kingdom to have anything."

Chronos frowned. "You think Queen Serenity's bungling killed everyone on the worlds of the Moon Kingdom? Possible, but even if so they certainly would have been resettled in the 12,000 years since then."

"Only if they could resettle them. Everything we know about the Moon Kingdom shows that effectively _all_ their technology was ki based...including the energy needed to make Earth's Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Pluto able to support life as well as the huge space stations that orbited Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune."

A look of total horror formed on Chronos' face.

"I see you are realizing the implications of my theory. We have assumed all the energy found in the Ginzuishou was from the people on the planets. But was if that energy also supplied their life support systems?"

Chronos' expression got grim. "That would mean instead of a quick painless death the people of Venus and space stations would have suffered a painful lingering death as their populations could likely not provide the energy reserves needed to keep everything functioning." Chronos cocked her head "But we know from Ami's test of the Time Space Door that the Palace had been turned into a memorial. You can't do that on a totally dead world."

"But what if the Palace was in a recently constructed dome?"

Chronos frowned in thought. "So what are you suggesting?"

"The Time Space Door can see that reality. I say we use it to a little general scouting of Earth. After that we can decide if we want to go there and do a more detailed examination and find out as much as we can of what is going on there."

**~*~*About an hour later*~*~**

"The plan itself is sound but given how past operations have gone...well you will understand my nervousness in implementing _this_ idea," said Nabiki.

"I admit as plans goes this does have the _feel_ of what I would in desperation slap together to keep Beryl happy," commented Jadeite. "_But_ it is very different in that we know next to nothing about that other reality and we have a good indication they have been messing around in ours."

Chronos appeared a frown on her face.

"Bad news?" asked Nabiki.

"More like weird news," stated Chronos. "Asside from a few differences history of that other reality is effectively identical to our own until the launch of Sputnikin 1957. Thanks to Galileo seeing the remains of the Palace on the Moon 1610 the space race was even more fast paced then in our reality."

"With clear evidence of a civilization on the moon that should have sent everybody into 'get there before the Soviets do' mode," commented Nakiki.

"Right, though in the long term it didn't matter as the US landed on the moon on the same date as in our reality. But it was after Neil Armstrong made his "One small step for Man one large step for Mankind" statement that things went sideways as the surface was found to be covered in dead bodies ." Chronos paused and then sighed. "He found the remains of the Sailor Scouts when he reached the Palace though my counterpart's body was missing."

"So my dome theory was correct?"

"Yes, it was started in the late 1970s as there was more reason to settle the moon then in our reality. The US grabbed every piece of tech they could get their hands and started trying to reverse engineer it. As a result their computer technology is about a decade ahead of our own. Things settled down into a kind of modernity until stories about girls running around in outfits fitting the descriptions of those found on the moon started coming out of Japan."

"I take it something is blocking you from getting more details," commented Nabiki.

"Their Time Space Door. Something caused it to go into total lockdown and to block any attempts at looking at anything after their Usagi became Sailor Moon."

"How'd that happen?" asked Nabiki. "I thought _we_ got the Moon Kingdom's tech."

"Remember that one of the ideas thrown out was we got their _old_ tech. I had Thoth with me in case we needed to do a scan and she found a mixture of Dark Kingdom, Black Moon, Pharaoh 90 energy, and Time Space Door energy."

Nabiki groaned putting her head in her hand. "You do realize for that to have happened they have to have their own, and likely superior, versions of the Ginzuishou and Jakokusuishou."

"Yes," Chronos paused and closed her eyes "Our Time Space Door can only see their present...and it doesn't look good. It looks like nearly every major martial artist we know of is at the Tendo dojo training...for something." Chronos opened her eyes and Jadeite and Nabiki tensed at the anger and pain they could see in them. "Nabiki, you only have one shrine here, right?"

Nabiki paled. "How many shrines in that other world did you see?" she asked a coldness forming in the pit of her stomach.

"Two. I also saw Soun, Kasumi, and your counterpart."

"This shrine… its for Akane isn't it?"

"From what I was able to put together from what they said, yes. She was murdered...by some Sailor Senshi and Ranma has declared a blood feud on them…._all_ of them. And yet Sailor Saturn is with them."

"Perhaps they don't know she is Sailor Saturn." said Nabiki as her eyes turned hard. "Our Sailor Senshi would never outright murder..."

"Uranus and Neptune would if it achieved what they felt was the greater goal. There is a reason Georgium Sidus and Mazu call them the Triggerhappy Twits."

"That is something that bothers me and I think it bothers Ranma," stated Jadeite frowning. "The Japanese barely deal with their actions in WWII with many text books glossing over or even entirely skipping key events like Manchuria and Nanjing. Many of you go one step further and talk about your past actions as if they were done by _entirely different and separate people_."

"On a practical level what can we do, Jadeite? The Sailor Senshi were the pariah boogie man for youma for _generations_. When they showed up in the flesh… all that come to the forefront."

"The disconnect is all that you feel is keeping some youma form trying to put you into the ground," sighed Nabiki.

"Well it isn't totally unreasonable," commented Chornus. "Sailor Moon and her friends were sending youma to their ancestors for nearly seven months. That certainly wouldn't win her any friends in the Dark Kingdom."

Jadeite snorted. "You re forgetting one key fact. They _all_ were Terms...youma who if they had lived would eventually have a future where they would be laying on the ground in agony coughing up their own guts as black goo until they died. Better a quick death via Moon's Glowing Frisbee of Death then that."

Chronos narrowed her eyes. "All? But what about Morga, Balm, and Furau?"

"They were in the very early stages. The aches and a little bit of black goo when they coughed." Jadeite sighed. "I knew Beryl was eager to get out of the Dark Kingdom and so used a term for my first project as there were a lot of gaps in my reconnaissance. Based on what happened I figured continuing to use Terms until I found out what went wrong was prudent. When it became known a Sailor Scout was involved, even though it wasn't a familiar one, I had to keep Beryl from going Hard Thought on my ass (that eventually blew up in face) and deal with Terms coming out everywhere to have a crack at gathering energy. The Pool of Drowned Youma gave you the form but not the _culture_."

"True, but Sailor Senchi culture I do know. And if Sailor Moon is using Uranus and Neptune as her advisors then she and the Scouts of that world need to be shut down. Hopefully by non lethal means."

"Great idea. But given how Ranma feels about Akane how do we stop their Ranma from trying to literally rip their freaking heads off?" Jadeite asked a hint of amusement in his voice.

Nabiki chuckled. "Oh I know of way to get him and my counterpart off the 'kill them' bandwagon. Our main issue will be deciding who goes."

"Don't you mean getting Ranma to agree to this borderline insanity?" asked Jadeite.

"You haven't looked into Ranma's past. I have. He's done crazier things."

"Do I want to know?" asked Jadeite.

"Not really." said Chronos and Nabiki together.

**~*~*Some time later*~*~**

"Chronos," said Genma frowning, "this piece of insanity sounds like something I used to come up with...while drunk."

"Pops, it is not like we are going to go in there freaking blind," sighed Ranma. "We set up a Stargate and talk to them and get their side of what the blazes is going on in their world. Besides we need to give them _some_ idea of what kind of powers the Sailor Senshi have."

"But as you pointed out this is a different world."

"Which is why after talking to them we do some leg work and gather information the old fashioned way," growled Eclipse as she lowered her head. "It doesn't help that odds are we got their hand me down tech and they have the more recent and likely more powerful stuff. We have seen what an over idealistic somewhat naive person did with it in trying to "fix" the world with our version." Eclipse looked up her eyes hard and cold "I don't want anything even remotely similar to that level of power in the hands of a counterpart that could have, for what ever reason, turned into some kind of homicidal nutjob."

"The thing is _our_ version is the one Queen Serenity was holding when everything went pear shaped," said Ranma. "Why would _she_ being using old and likely obsolete technology in a major battle?"

Gernma chuckled, "Ranma has a point. Even at my worst I was never _that_ dumb. Heck, given the ki that thing cranks out I would have kept both on my person to keep fit enough to keep improving the boy's skill."

"As it was you went to pot," commented Eclipse.

"Aside from a few techniques so dangerous I sealed them Ranma got to my skill level _years_ ago."

"Just how dangerous are we talking about, Pops?" asked Ranma clearly worried.

"Think of throwing a ki swipe composed of pure vacuum. Effectively very poor man's close combat Death Reborn Revolution if I understand the basic ki principal of that thing enough."

Ranma gave a low whistle. "No wonder you sealed it."

"That may have been why Queen Serenity was using the old tech; the new version was too powerful," commented Eclipse.

"The thing is the energy I detected is far lower then what I would expect," said Chronos. "Though everything else points to us getting the old tech. For example, when I had Tho...Ami look through the scientific and medical archives of the first 5000 years of the Moon Kingdom and she found were _wiped_ from the Mercury Computer. If that wasn't enough the computer has an internal clock that records the time since it was first turned on. It worked out to be roughly 57,000 years."

"It also means somebody wanted to memory hole that information _real_ bad," commented Nabiki.

"Memory hole?" asked Ranma puzzled.

"Reference to an English novel called _1984 _where history is continuously rewritten."

"Perhaps," started Jadeite clearly in thought. "Yes, that would make sense. We have all been working on the assumption the new technology was superior to the old. What if it wasn't?"

"You're saying the Moon Kingdom was in decline?" asked Eclipse.

"It would answer the one question that has always bothered me – why did Queen Serenity after so many millennium behave in what has to be the most wreck-less way possible? You simply don't do that...unless your empire is in trouble. As in danger of collapsing under its own weight trouble."

"That would explain a lot," commented Chronos. "In fact, the one thing I have seen going over this Earth's history is empires, like the people that make up them, are born, grow up to hit a zenith, grow old declining along the way, and then die. Why should the Moon Kingdom be any different? Heck, Rome the longest lived Empire this Earth ever saw, at best lasted only 1,400 years and that is ignoring all the internal problems it had."

"But in the some 50,000 years it was around you were only the second Sailor Pluto," commented Nabiki.

Chronos grimly chuckled. "None of the other Senshi had my lifespan. The only one that came close was Saturn and likely for the same reason." Chronos then frowned. "Which now I actually think about it doesn't really make sense."

"Why not?" asked Ranma. You don't want that kind of insane power being used by someone new every 100 years or so."

"Yet, the most powerful of them all did exactly that," said Jadeite.

"The crystal is too powerful," commented Eclipse, "It's bad enough that kind of power is in the hands of one person; the last thing you want to do is give then enough time to figure out all the nuances of that power." Eclipse sighed. "All this speculation is pointless. We need to go in there and find out who or more likely _what_ is behind the false flag operation that was going on in London and make sure it stops interfering with our world."

"That is the _only_ reason I am even considering going along with this insanity," said Nabiki sighing. "Ok how do we go about this?"

**~*~*Another Tendo Jojo*~*~**

Ranma and the others in the Tendo back yard were startled as the ground started to shake. "Its an earthquake!" said Ryoga. "No, it isn't! Look!" exclaimed Ranma pointing to one side of the dojo's remains.

Everyone got into defensive stances as a crystal circle rose out of the group shaking everything in the area as it rose. Even when the circle was fully formed the shaking continued as a crystal ramp formed in front of the circle and a crystal podium beside it. Finally the shaking stopped.

"What is that thing?!" asked Nabiki.

Ranma took a step forward only to have his way blocked by Cologne's staff. "Son-in-law open your ki senses."

Ranma nodded and then took a step back. "Kama sama the ki coming off that thing is insane."

"It worse then that," said Cologne Ranma swearing that he could pick up some _fear_ in the Old Ghoul's voice. "That thing is giving off more energy then Saffron, the most powerful being I know of. A being so powerful that many regard him as a god as when he dies he is reborn as a child. That is why his kingdom is called **Phoenix** Mountain. Anything that could create this would be able to squish Saffron like a bug."

"Ahhh. Great grandmother look. Yin-yang symbol is starting to spin."

Everyone watched as the symbol spun faster and faster until it looked like a gray circle. Then the circle face revealing a very familiar yard a figure in black robe a tall woman in a formal dress with various humanoid but clearly not human figures around them.

"Those..." began Hotura.

"Look like some of these things that have been killing people." growled Uyko.

"Sounds like things are even worse then we saw, Wiseman," said the woman.

"No surprise there, Mistress Saturn. We knew from our history that the Sailor Scouts weren't going to be the only things we were going to have to deal with."

Cologne frowned. "Son-in-law. This Wiseman is using ki to alter his voice but I recognize it."

"So you know who this guy is? Great. Who is he?"

"He's you."

"I told you that you didn't have the skill to hide your identity from my counterpart," said a very familiar voice with humor in it. Everyone blinked as another Cologne came to stand beside Wiseman.

"What the?" begun Ranma.

"This isn't trick or illusion," said Wiseman removing his hood revealing Ranma's face. "I am you...and yet I am not."

"Mind explaining that piece of nonsense to us, "Saotome"?" asked a clearly skeptical Nabiki.

"It isn't nonsense, my dear," said another familiar voice as another Nabiki with one of the strange humanoids beside her came along side Wiseman. "Kama sama this is creepy as all get out," the other Nabiki muttered.

"Brings a whole new meaning to talking to yourself doesn't it?" asked the other Cologne.

"Guys, you are wasting time and if there is one thing that counterpart still believes is that time is money. So let's cut to the chase. Does anyone on your side of the Stargate know anything about Many Worlds Theory?"

"Stargate? And what is this Many Worlds Theory?" asked Ranma.

The other Nabiki sighed. "Given the blank expression everyone else's face I take that as a no. Figures. Ok here are the cliff notes as it were."

**~*~*Author's Note*~*~**

"Clarktech" is a term coined and used by Isaac Arthur on the rare occasions he explore impossible (by our physics) technology like FTL, solid Dyson Spheres (dyson swarms are totally viable by our understanding), time travel, and the like. In general his Youtube channel focuses on **realistic** space travel and assumes that if there are civilizations out there they are way beyond our light cone to see or haven't advanced to the point where they are noticeable by our technology.

If the world the Gray Moon Clan is visiting sounds familiar that is because it based on Fire's Vengeance and a Half which "ended" on a sort of psudo cliffhanger.


	2. Ch02 Meeting Yourself

Ranma 1/2 is the creation of Rumiko Takahashi and Sailor Moon is the creation of Naoko Takeuchi. This fan-fiction isn't intended for commercial use but is rather a tribute to Ranma 1/2 and Sailor Moon.

This is a continuation of Saotome Ranma, Wiseman Book 1 which should be read first as otherwise little will make sense.

Chapter 2 – Meeting Yourself

Ranma started to rub his head. "Perhaps referring to me as Wiseman will make things not get more confusing."

"But you have somehow returned my daughter to us," said Soun still hugging their Akane.

Wiseman put his head in his hand. "I went over this before we stepped through the Stargate. She is not your Akane but ours."

"Right," chastised Eclipse. "It's not like Sailor Moon used her version of the Ginzuishou to bring your Akane back."

Everyone froze. "Nice job, Meatboall head," grumbled Neith.

"Fair maiden, are you saying that the ones we fight could return our Akane to our side?"

"Only if you are into very well preserved animated corpses running around," commented Beryl who then sighed. "In the future Purple Wiseman came from the Inners all died getting Sailor Moon to my counterpart where they _mortally_ wounded each other. Moon wished that her friends were back and they were all normal school girls. The Ginzuishou made that wish come true."

"So you are saying this Ginzuishou can restore the dead to life?" asked Ryoga.

Beryl again sighed. "Just what part of 'well preserved animated corpse' did you not understand? I said that fool high tech thing brought them back. I said nothing about restoring them to life." Beryl leaned forward. "We listened in long enough you know that one of your goal is kill to Sailor Senshi as revenge for what they did to your Akane. But you can't kill someone _who is already dead_."

"But Sailor Moon's friends didn't get killed until around her reality's Ranma killed Saffron which I know hasn't happened here as he would have the residual ki from that battle all over him it it had," said Chronus. "These Inners should still be alive."

"The point is," said Thoth, "that thanks to the Ginzuishou, killing the Sailor Senshi is not an option as doing that likely will make things worse."

"Are you telling me that we can't kill these maniacs because they have a bring back from the dead gizmo?" fumed Ranma.

"In a nutshell, yes," said Beryl. "But that gizmo appears to only work with the Inners. Otherwise Neo-Queen Serenity would have brought the Outers back after Sailor Saturn blew up Pharaoh 90, another piece of Moon Kingdom Clarktech."

"Wait a minute," began Cologne. "You are talking about them as if there are _two_ groups of Sailor Senshi."

"There are," said Eclipse. "The Inners are the personal guards of the Royal Family. They are effectively the infantry of the Moon Kingdom. The Outers on the other hand are the _very heavy_ artillery with Saturn ranging from blockbuster to all the way up to an antimatter bomb."

"The problem is the distances from Earth's Moon to Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto was so great that direct communication with the Royal family was minimal at best," commented Beryl. "At a very practical level the Moon Kingdom was as fragmented as your Roman Empire was only instead of East and West it was Inner and Outer."

"The Outers didn't care about collateral damage...even if it was another Sailor Scout. In didn't help that everybody except the Queen feared Sailor Saturn," said Georgium Sidus.

"Why was Sailor Saturn so feared?" asked Genma.

"Depending on how you ranked power Sailor Saturn was either third or second with Sailor Pluto being the other one," said Mistress Saturn as she turned to face Hotaru. "Remember what Eclipse said about antimatter bomb? Well that was Death Reborn Revolution which at could blow up a _planet_."

Hotaru paled. "But that is _my_ most powerful attack."

Mistress Saturn chuckled as she shrunk down in size and becoming younger until she looked like Hotaru. "_Our_ most powerful attack," she said in a soft voice. "If anything my counterpart should show you that not all of the Sailor Senshi are trigger happy consequences be damned maniacs."

'Which brings us to the rhino in the house," said Amun causing the rest of the Grey Moon clan to either shake their heads or roll their eyes. "You cannot color all the Sailor Senshi with the same blush."

"Despite Amun's knack for mangling common phrases with the ease P-chan gets loss she's right," chimed in clearly nervous Wiseman. "But in the small chance she is wrong you lot simply don't have the raw power to take them out."

"That's why the whole main membership of the Grey Moon Clan is here," said Eclipse. "In case the Inners of this world have become like the Outers were or won't listen to our warnings about using that blasted high tech crystal of theirs to 'fix' things you are going to need that raw power."

"But before we get to that stage we have to cut through perceptions and get facts," said Beryl. "I am gambling that their Usagi is as accepting as ours was though Luna will likely be a problem."

"Kuso," groaned the Nabiki next to Beryl her head down.

"I take it Usagi and Luna are the real names of two of these Sailor Scouts," commented the now scowling Nabiki next to their Ranma.

"Uh, oops..." replied a now nervous Beryl.

"Actually they are the names of Sailor Moon and her Mau advisor," said Eclipse moving closer to Beryl.

One of the Nabikis pinched the bridge of her nose clearly trying to stave off a headache. "And just what is a Mau? And if I get the smart ass joke 'I don't know; what's Mau with you' I will seriously hurt the person telling it."

"Think Shampoo but reversed," said Thoth.

"We found out that youma were the descendants of the first attempts by the Moon Kingdom to create Sailor Senshi," said Beryl. "The Mau are likely more of the same only those they didn't pass them off as demons invading from other reality but as aliens from another solar system. We don't know the details as the first 5,000 years of scientific and historical data that would have told us was wiped from the Mercury computer's memory banks."

"Wait a minute," said Cologne frowning. "Did you say _first 5,000_ years?! Just how old is this Moon Kingdom?"

"About 50,000 years give or take a century," said Beryl. "It and the Earth got into a no one wins war 12,000 years ago effectively wiping out one and obliterating the civilization of the other to the point that all that remained were stories."

"The way you phrased that..." began Nabiki as her eyes widened in realization. "That Palace on the Moon and the one they found on Mars."

"Yes, asside from the Dark…," Beryl stopped and frowned. "In our eagerness to get here to help and train we seemed to have missed a key detail. How does _this_ world have a Queen Beryl and youma?"

Wiseman steapled his hands frowning. "Thoth, could the death ki in one of our crystals create a copy of the Dark Kingdom here and fill it with clones?" 

"No. It took the ki energy equivalent of 70 billion people to create the Dark Kingdom and transport Beryl, the Generals, and the some 1 million youma there. There simply wouldn't be enough left over energy to duplicate all that. The best that could be done would be a very limited quantum duplication."

Wiseman sighed. "Can you explain this quantum duplication thing without loosing us five words in or making our heads hurt?"

Thoth chuckled. "I do tend to forget that my audience doesn't have the high level information that I have learned. Think of a copy machine that can't make full copies but will make copies of what is important."

"Meaning _our_ Dark Kingdom was used as a template but there wasn't enough energy recreate everything," commented Beryl.

"Right, but from the energy levels I am reading we are talking about a Dark Kingdom little larger then four large city blocks populated with perhaps 200 inhabitants which odds are were constructs of some kind."

Beryl snorted. "You couldn't conquer a city much less a country or the whole planet with _those_ numbers. But it would still require a lot of energy to do even that."

Thoth nodded. "Yes but not enough to make the more powerful versions of the Moon Kingdom Clarktech we have been theorizing exist here less powerful then what we know less of a problem." Thoth scowled. "Their attacks are still more powerful then what we are familiar with...as in potentially lethal to normal humans levels of power."

"Which means an even more power for Sailor Moon to play with if she decides to fix the world by unintentionally giving everybody an emotional lobotomy with her version of this blasted crystal," said Eclipse pulling out a huge diamond.

"Is that what I think it is?" asked the Nabiki beside Ranma her voice cold and hard.

"If you mean our version of the Ginzuishou, yes," said Eclipse. "And if the idea of bringing back your Akane is going through your head again get rid of it. From what we have learned about the bring them back power of this blasted thing at best it only works with Sailor Senshi because of the way their souls were transformed into something called star seeds when everything took the express train to the toilet some 12,000 years ago."

"What do you mean, "transformed"? asked a clearly angry Ranma.

"From what we have been able to put together a soul is normally spread throughout the body," said Wiseman. "They have compacted them down into a small core if it were."

"If they didn't need their starseeds in their bodies to function Neo-Queen Serenity's versions of us would be called Liches," grumbled Eclipse.

Nabiki narrowed her eyes and the Ranma beside her frowned his face a dark storm cloud, "Versions of _us_?"

Eclipse sighed pulling out a henshi stick. "As Sun Sun Tzu says 'Know your enemy and know yourself and in a thousand battles you will be victorious.'" Eclipse leaned forward. "And who would know the Sailor Sensei better then the Sailor Senshi? Moon Power, Make Up!"

Wiseman tensed as the transformation finished. The silence that followed was deafening. "Please let them have understood." he repeated in his mind not realizing he was also saying it out loud.

"Understand?" growled Ranma as he ran up and grabbed his 'Wiseman' counterpart by the front of his silk clothes. "I understand that we can't kill those maniacs and you brought your reality's, world or what ever the blasted blazes it is versions with you. What I don't fully understand is 'why?'."

"Because this world is messing with ours," commented Beryl. "And we have seen what the Ginzuishou can do in the hands of an overly idealistic somewhat naive person. Kama-sama knows what one who has gone Uranus and Neptune will do with the blasted thing. But the most important thing was to get you off your 'kill all Sailor Senshi' bandwagon because you _need_ them for what is to come - namely Sailor Galaxia." Beryl moved and grabbed one of Ranma's arms.

"You go on about saving a handful of people. We are trying to save this _world_ from the same fate thousands of others like it have suffered – a dead rock whose life was wiped out by either Sailor Galaxia herself or the forces chasing her through the cosmos who are so hopped up on 'the kill her kill her now' that _th__eir_ collateral damage is _inhabited planets_. Of course that is assuming Pharaoh 90 and or the _Black_ Moon Clan's 'Wiseman' doesn't kill everybody first."

"You forgot the thing that calls itself Snow Queen Kaguya," commented their Nabiki. "It's like a twisted version of that 'better living though chemistry' slogan, only here it is 'Frighteningly new ways to die though faulty or misused Moon Kingdom Clarktech'."

"You may be closer to reality with that statement then you know," said Beryl her face showing she was deeply worried. "I have been trying to contact this reality's Dark Kingdom to try and see if they might be able to help. At first I thought the barrier was stronger then it was in our world...but then I realized the real problem – there simply wasn't a barrier to go though."

"The frightening implication is that would fit in with our false flag operation theory," commented Jadeite grimly. "Whoever or more likely _whatever_ is behind it wouldn't be satisfied with just Sailor V taking on the 'Dark Kingdom' and so set up a rough copy of it here and sent it against all the Inners. Once the 'Dark Kingdom' served its purpose there was no reason to keep it or its barrier around."

Eclipse's face became dark as a storm cloud. "Are you telling me..."

"Anything that remained there is _gone_. As in if it never existed in the first place."

"But that would mean the Sailor Sensei took out my counterpart far faster then they did in the timeline we know about," said Beryl as she put the long black wig she had been holding on her head. "Time to go to...the shrine and talk to the Inners," Beryl said putting on the mask she had also been holding in her hand. Before anyone could do anything she was on the Tendo's roof and then roof hopping in a southeastern direction.

**~*~Hikawa Shrine, Azabu-Juuban District, Minato ward some time later~*~**

"They are definitely getting stronger," said a voice from inside the shrine that Beryl thought was was Mercury's but Ami spent so much time as Thoth that she wasn't sure.

Taking a deep breath Beryl stepped into the room. "Just who is getting stronger?"

Fourteen pairs of eyes turned to face her. "Who are you?" asked Usagi.

"Sailor Nemesis," replied Beryl.

Luna immediately frowned jumping between Usagi and her. "There is no Sailor Nemesis!"

"There were secrets in the Moon Kingdom that not even the Queen much less the advisors to her daughter knew, little Mau." Nemesis paused for dramatic effect. "Such as the youma not being demons from another reality."

Rei frowned. "If they weren't that then what were they?"

"Five of you five Inners. Whoever is Mercury transform and access your computer's root files. Open Project Guardian and read it."

Ami slowly stood and pulled out her transformation stick. "Mercury Planet Make Up." She then pulled up the visor interface to her computer. As time passed her eyes moving as the file only she could currently read scrolled before her, her face when through several expressions – surprise, concern, and then it paled. "It can't be true," she whispered. "The youma can't have been the decedents of the first attempts to create us."

"WHAT?!" exploded the room.

"If it is any consolation I don't think any of the Queens past knew. A rogue department using 'Plausible deniable' as justification to perform experiments that would likely have given Doctor Joseph Mengele, the Angel of Death of Auschwitz nightmares. Why else wipe everything for the first 5000 years of the Moon Kingdom's some 50,000 years of existence from the computer?"

Ami frowned. "I'm not showing anything being wiped from the computer."

"Sorry, I was talking about the original equipment which we have not the upgraded stuff you lot have. Obviously somebody developed a moral backbone and put the information in the one place it could not be easily erased but would be copied."

"What do you mean by original equipment or this 'we'?" asked Rei anger in her eyes.

"Who here knows anything about Many Worlds Theory?"

"I do," said Ami. "To keep it simple it says that for every action the alternative also happens…," Ami's eyes widened in realization. "in other reality."

"I see you have put it together, _Ami_."

"You're from another reality and we exist in your world."

"I'm not sure that 'exist' applies anymore."

"What do you mean?" asked Usagi fear in her voice. "Are you saying..."

Sailor Nemesis laughed. "Oh no you are all quite alive in my reality. The issue is a place called Jusenkyo in the Qinghai Province of China near the Tibetan boarder. What ever falls into a cursed pool takes on the form of what drowned in that pool. Whole bunch of pools there. Pool of Drowned Cat, Drowned Duck, Drowned Girl, and Drowned Life Draining Demon or more properly Drowned Youma."

"What happened?" asked Usagi her fear growing.

"Some baka thought the best way to test what he thought was Pool of Drowned Virtuous Man was to pour some of it on Sailor Moon." Nemesis sighed "It wasn't. Never mind the Sailor Senshi that followed Purple Wiseman from his 30th century came off as a bunch of overly tigger happy 'the only good youma is a dusted youma' maniacs when her Sailor Mars and Mercury showed up at Usagi's school after both she and Pluto had come into contact with the Pool of Drowned Youma. Everyone was so disgusted with what they saw they, like Pluto, intentionally used the Pool and started to use their new youma status to drive a wedge between Beryl and the youma on her control by forming a new clan-The Grey Moon Clan. For all practical purposes the Inners of my world stopped existing that day. Sure the youma they now are can still access their Sailor Senshi power but they are very reluctant to do so for emotional reasons."

"So why are you in our world?"

"Someone or _something_ from this reality set up a false flag operation in England to get a feel on what a battle between the Dark Kingdom and Sailor Sensei would look like and who'd win. We just found out it did one better here with the creation a flawed copy of our Dark Kingdom. Who ever or whatever you fought was _not_ Beryl, her generals, or her youma but imperfect copies. After a little scouting the Grey Moon Clan came here to find out what the goals of this force was. Which brings me to why I am here at your old meeting place."

"And why are you here?" asked Rei her voice her hand reaching inside her robes.

"Please don't do that, Rei. I didn't come here to fight you _unless_ the stories of you being a bunch of consequences be dammed trigger happy maniacs was true."

"Luna?" asked Usagi.

"No, your majesty. While the version of you I knew was bitter after my advice resulted in the death of her dearest friend neither she or her Senshi were a 'bunch of consequences be dammed trigger happy maniacs'. Ruthless in the extreme with regards to youma and 'Beryl' but always careful that no one innocent got hurt."

Sailor Nemesis turned her gaze to Luna. "From what you just said I say they aren't native to this reality any more then we are. So what happened to the Sailor Senshi that belong here?"

"According to Luna, they simply faded from existence. Likely because we arrived before we left when we returned from Crystal Tokyo."

Sailor Nemesis shook her head. "As powerful as it is the Time Space Door cannot change the fundamental fact that time travel doesn't work that way. At worse you should have created an alternate timeline and been fighting yourselves...much like what happened for a while between the Grey Moon Clan and the Sailor Senshi of a particular 30th century."

"Then why did they fade?" asked Ami.

"We found out the Time Space Door had an AI and had recreated its guardian Sailor Pluto when she had died in the battle against Pharaoh 90. In that timeline Sailor Moon's friends died getting her to their Queen Beryl and they mortally wounded each other. She wished for her and her friends to be normal school girls and the Ginzuishou granted her wish. From what we have been able to put together that battle happened far earlier in this reality."

"Yes it did," said Luna "But Princess Moon didn't have the Ginzuishou. In fact despite our best efforts we didn't find it."

Sailor Nemesis nodded. "And since it could see the most likely future the Time Space Door knew this world still needed an Inner Senshi and created 'copies' of the Sailor Senshi. Maintaining them and their powers must have put so much a strain that it caused you to arrive in this timeline when you tried to return to your present even though it would cause it to go into total lockdown effectively 'turning off' the Sanshi it had created."

Sailor Nemesis then gave a humorless chuckle "I think our speculation about all the messing around in our world was because someone was afraid the Sailor Senshi would return here was wrong. The more I hear the more I think the Time Space Door was setting up the chance for a 'rescue' party in case things went totally pearshaped which based on what I heard at the Tendo Dojo they have."

"Tendo? As in Tendo Akane?" asked Usagi.

"Yes," said Sailor Nemesis.

"From what I have been able to put together the Outers killed her," said Ami

"Fits in with their old 'acceptable causalities' reputation," commented Sailor Nemesis. "I _think_ we have gotten Ranma and friends off the 'kill all the Senshi' bandwagon given we revealed they have Sailor Saturn among them. Even if they go off and try something Genma levels of dumb the Grey Moon Clan can shut them down without killing or seriously harming them. My main concern is I let it slip that the Outers in that possible 30th century had not been brought back so they may get on the 'kill Uranus and Neptune' bandwagon despite our efforts. Though if they do push for that we do have an ace in the hole as it were – Hard Thought."

"Wait a minute," said Luna frowning. "That is a power only the Royal family of Earth had."

"Uh, what is this Hard Thought?" asked Usagi nervously.

"Have you ever seen a fly trapped in amber?" Everyone nodded. "Well imagine that the fly is still alive able to see, hear, and feel and then top it off with the inability to die. Even the strongest of youma could be reduced to a jabbering fawning wreck with just 5 minutes of that treatment. As for how we have that option Queen Beryl is part of the Grey Moon Clan and we brought her with us."

"WHAT?!" exploded the room again.

"Are you guys _insane_?!" raged Rei. "Beryl is going to be arguing for us to be put in the ground."

"No I am not. Otherwise I wouldn't be here."

Everyone froze. "Please don't do something stupid," said Sailor Nemesis as she removed her black wig revealing sweat drenched red hair. Then she removed her mask revealing the features of

"Beryl," whispered Usagi.

"A very different Beryl from the one you know...well after the first six to seven months that is. Getting your butt handed to you by the reincarnation of your elder twin sister, having what little remaining control over your youma go down the toilet, and realizing that you have been wasting the last 12,000 freaking years effectively being a bully when you could have been improving yourself and winning the respect of your youma rather then their distain will do that."

"You expect us to believe anything you have told us?" asked an angry Luna.

"Why did you think I had Ami look up that file? I may have many powers and abilities, Luna but hacking and alternating the Mercury Computer isn't one of them. If I could do that I could have fed you enough false information that you got yourselves killed fighting my youma. At least as 14 year old school girls you have an excuse to not think on a military level but the generals and I didn't... especially after 12,000 years."

Beryl gestured with the hand that held her wig and mask. "If I really wanted you pushing up daisies why would I go through this or reveal who I really was this early? You are supposed to be an adviser Luna and yet in terms of military thinking you are as bad as they are."

Beryl narrowed her eyes. "My Wiseman has trained me to use Metaial's energies to duplicate any Sailor Sensei power I know of or have seen. Thanks to his borderline insane training and my own stubbornness I have reaction times that surpass anyone who isn't at first Dan level in martial arts. Ami can give you an idea on what my training has been like by using the computer to scan me."

Ami frowned as new data appeared on her visor. "Good grief. There is evidence of extreme bruising that has been healed faster then normal. As if someone was being beaten on a regular basis."

"Metaial's ki can only do so much at my current skill level. That why I was glad Wiseman bought Mistress Saturn as we could go even further and if I managed to break something she could heal it right then and there rather then me waiting around."

"I hope that doesn't mean you are getting into masochism," said what sounded like Usagi's voice but it was coming from the door not the room.

Everyone turned to see a gray skinned copy of Usagi in her Sailor Moon garb tossing her transformtion pen up and down with her right hand.

Beryl chuckled a little. "So it wasn't my imagination that I was being followed. Did a good job masking your ki, Eclipse."

"Thanks." Eclipse frowned. "Wiseman was right. They do have more raw power then we do in our default transformations." Eclipse turned to face Beryl. "Found anything useful?"

"Plenty. First, they aren't native to this timeline. Second, the ones that do belong here appeared to have died with my counterpart and ki constructs were created to temporarily take their place. Finally, it was the Outers that killed Tendo Akane."

Eclipse's face turned into a dark thunder cloud. "As Sailor Senshi we were to protect people not kill them. What is wrong with those boosted pieces of food?"

"They're loose cannons on deck," commented Beryl who sighed. "I'm afraid that the Senshi that belonged here were just below the Outers in terms of ruthlessness so Nabiki isn't going to be able to tell that these Inners aren't borderline reckless maniacs. Oh they don't have that blasted crystal."

"Great," groaned Eclipse. "We have to find the Ginzuishou of this reality before the Black Moon Clan's Wiseman or Witches 5 get their hands on the damn thing."

"There is a major problem with that idea. All the knowledge regarding where the pieces of our Ginzuishou was is useless here. The Dark Kingdom here was a limited construct. Odds are it didn't even exist until Sailor V got visits from the Dark Agency. As was pointed out there likely wasn't more then 100 people in it."

"That and the fact they were non living constructs is why you weren't appalled when the idea that who ever was left over got 'turned off' with it came up."

Beryl slumped sighing. "I wish it was like that, I really do. But, the fact is while the generals and I may have not aged the youma did. We saw nearly _400_ generations of youma born grow up, grow old, and die. That effects you after a while. Throw in the odds they were constructs that were _never_ alive to begin with with only enough programing to appear they were alive and it is hard to fell anything for their loss." Beryl held up a hand. "I'm not excusing how I treated my youma subjects but outlining one of the dangers of being immortal."

"You think of those who are mortal are somehow beneath you," commented Rei as she pulled out her transformation pen. But before she could say anything her wrist was in a vice like grip. "Rei-chan, please don't do something stupid. I really don't want to drain you into unconsciousness but I will if you continue to act with your overly emotional heart rather then your head," said Eclipse.

"Better to have an overly emotional heart then a nearly cold one, my dear," said Beryl turning. "Perhaps we should leave before this turns into a battle. I don't think Rei's grandfather would be happy if we trashed his temple and grounds in a battle."

"Beryl, you are as hard on yourself as I am," said Eclipse. "You don't have a cold heart as you wanted to reconnect with your sister's reincarnation...and you were angry over what happened regarding the man you loved."

Beryl stopped and turned smiling. "Good to know there is something of Usagi still there."

"Still there?" asked Eclipse who then sighed letting Rei's wrist go. "I'm going into youma leader mode again aren't I."

"As been pointed out many times you may physically be youma you don't have their _culture_. You all created personas based on what you _thought_ the youma of the Dark Kingdom respected. The thing is Wiseman and I are worried you are _becoming_ those personas." Beryl folded her arms. "When is the last time you used hot water to become Usigi or Sailor Moon rather then your youma shapeshifting power that wasn't a demonstration of how the Pools work?"

Eclipse looked down. "You're right, We use the cold water magnet as an excuse not to use hot water. But how else are we going to earn the respect of the youma of Phoenix Republic? We are no stronger then the average human and our Sailor Senshi identities are not exactly popular." Eclipse pulled out her Ginzuishou. "Actually using this thing is akin to a caveman smashing the head of an active nuclear bomb with his club."

"That is why I don't want the thing anymore. I have even less clue on how to use it then you lot do. Which is exactly why we have to find this reality's version. Odds are that it is still in one piece." Beryl paused cocking her head to one side and then smiled. "There is one piece of good news in this mess. _These_ Inners aren't Liches."

"Speaking of this reality wonder how Wiseman has been doing keeping things calmed down at the Tendo Dojo."

"On his own? Likely saying the wrong fool thing. But he isn't alone."

**~*~Tendo Dojo~*~**

"Except for a few details this world was effectively identical to ours until about when Usagi became Sailor Moon," said Akane. "I can't see my counterpart going along with this blood feud. Especially as you are painting the entire group with the same brush." Akane gestured. "I imagine your Hotura has been here long enough for you to know her heart."

"And with that knowledge are you going to try and kill her?" asked Wiseman.

"Especially thanks to the way her soul and my counterpart are linked you would set off a Death Reborn Revolution," commented Mistress Saturn in a deep voice. "Which brings up an important issue. Your Mistress 9," she finished touching Hotaru.

'Hello,...well I guess sister is the best word to use," smiled Mistress 9 looking at her counterpart in the dark mindscape. 'Wiseman let me see how I would be rewarded for my efforts.' Mistress 9 scowled 'Treated like a disposable tool that had served it purpose.'

'You lie,' hissed the other Mistress 9.

Mistress 9 chuckled. 'Not in this case. Look at the power working with Wiseman, Saotome Ranma has given me.'

The other Mistress 9 narrowed her eyes and then widened them. 'That is more power then Pharaoh 90 himself.'

'Power we share,' said another voice.

'My Hotaru is right, we share all our power. No matter which form we have we can access _all_ our power. Hence the name Mistress Saturn."

'Which is why I am not letting you deal with her alone,' said the voice as Hotaru appeared in her Sailor Saturn reaching out her hand to her Mistress 9.

Mistress 9 reached out and the two grasped hands and following a bright light that even in this mindscape made the other Mistress 9 wince there stood a single figure.

'You and your Hotaru fight," said the figure with two voices. 'We work together. Our Wiseman has helped refine that link. Though we weren't expecting it to be more powerful then Pharaoh 90. When we return home we will have to ask it about that. Oh silly us, we should ask his master as he came with us.'

'Master?' squeaked the other Mistress 9 feeling frightened for the first time in her existence.

'Our Wiseman,' grinned Mistress Saturn.

Mistress 9 narrowed her eyes and then widened them. 'By all the powers that are. Compared to him Pharaoh 90 is an insect.'

'Yes and with the right directing we could turn your Ranma into someone as powerful as ours. In about two months.'

Mistress 9 smiled. She was drawn to the Silence and Wiseman practically radiated it. The idea that Ranma could be boosted to that level in such a short time appealed to her.

'However, you must reveal yourself to your Hotaru and tell her _everything_. No lies no omissions. Sure she will want to mentally rip your head off at first but after a while you and her will become more then friends...you will become family. Now if you excuse us we need to talk to our Wiseman.'

Back in the real world Mistress Saturn saw Wiseman shaking his head. "Let me guess you used the 'their Ranma becomes me' carrot." Mistress Saturn simply smiled.

"The founders of the Moon Kingdom made sure that there was a way to counterbalance a queen who had gone off the rails." Wiseman pulled out his Jakokusuishou. "This, the Jakokusuishou, is our version of that counterbalance. People who don't have the right balance of yin and yang are kept going by the crystal even as their body dies and then decays leaving nothing but bone; needless to say they go totally insane such as the Kuno Wiseman we had to fight. These Wiseman have one main goal – kill the Sailor Senshi...even if they have to kill the rest of the planet to do it.

Kuno paled. "Are you saying in one future I claimed this Jakokusuishou and became a monstrous madman?"

"More then one future I am afraid. But that isn't the worst part."

"Worse?" What the blazes is worse then becoming a murderous undead maniac?" asked Ranma.

"If no one finds it after a while the crystal will form a counterbalance construct composed of all the 'negative' emotions of humanity that is formally called the Doom Phantom or Death Phantom depending on the timeline. This...thing also has kill the Sailor Senshi on the top of its things to do list. And if the people Earth die in the process...well such as the fortunes of war."

"Let me guess," said Nabiki stepping behind her Ranma. "You claimed this crystal before finding all this out."

Wiseman laughed. "While that would fit the way I tended to do things, no."

"WHAT?!" Screeched Nabiki causing her Ranma to wince.

"Remember what I said about 'right balance of yin and yang'? Well that balance is achieved through Jusenkyo - Pool of Drowned Girl for males and Pool of Drowned Man for females. The result is immortality. My futureself of a 30th century was still 21 biologically but 1021 by the calendar. However, the Jakokusuishou can show the most likely futures which is how my counterpart missed low probability futures where somebody like Herb got the crystal. They didn't become undead but still had 'Kill the Sensei' on their list of things to do. They were just little less crazy about it. I have sent a signal to bring your Jakokusuishou here. It will likely take nearly seven days to get here."

"Why so long?" Ranma.

"Saotome, you can't be considering going along with this insane idea," fumed Nabiki.

"The Jakokusuishou is on the planet Nemesis which is 100 AU's from the Sun or about 800 minutes at the speed of light. So it will take just over 13 hours for it to even receive the information I sent it. Then it will have to process it and since it is a physical object to maintain its energy reserves it will travel to Earth far slower then the signal." Wiseman raised a finger. "One warning. By claiming it you will become immortal like me. That means you will see your wife, your children, and future generations be born, grow up, grow old, and die before you eyes. Small wonder once Safuran gained the ability to change sex like my counterpart they eventually became a couple."

"Uh, Pervert, that may not be entirely true," said Akane making a gesture Nabiki knew all two well as her Ranma started looking a little green.

Wiseman froze and slowly turned. "What do you mean, tomboy?" he asked clearly afraid.

"Remember how we shared each other memories? Well that involves ki right?"

"Yes," said Wiseman clearly nervous.

"But not our ki but the ki of the Jakokusuishou, right?"

Wiseman's eyes widened in horror. "Kuso. That means..."

"I'm likely just as immortal as you are." Akane held up her hand. "I know my counterpart hated you for bringing her back after defeating Safuran as it took her away from her mother. But we wanted to understand each other. So in this case we didn't think it all the way through."

"Looks like we tried that trick way before we were ready," commented Mistress Saturn frowning.

"A cold reminder that even with this crystal we have to be careful," said Wiseman as Akane walked over to the newer shrine. "Excuse me," he said walking up beside Akake.

"Creepy isn't it?"

"Creepy and then some."

"You have been going out of you way to argue that we shouldn't kill the..._our_ Sailor Sensei," raged Ranma. "You have made your case with Hotaru but what of the others? You two are standing in front of the very reason we are doing this. Don't either of you feel anything for our Akane?"

"As the greatest General who ever lived, Sun Tzu, implied becoming overly emotional is not the way to win battles...or wars. Besides what purpose would killing them do? Especially with the bring back from the dead even as a well preserved corpses Clarktech Moon gizmo Sailor Moon is likely carrying?" Wiseman then gave a dark chuckle. "Even if they didn't have that blasted Ginzuishou at best they experience a brief amount of pain in this world while all of you experience the pain of your loss as long as you live. Hardly a fair trade in my book. They say there are things worse then death and boy do we have an example for you." said Wiseman as he turned around.

Nearly all of the trainees took a step back. There was none of Ranma's easy going attitude in those features and Wiseman eyes were cold and hard. If anything the expression came off as...well _evil_. "Imagine being trapped in a crystal of pure ki unable to move or breathe but you can still hear, see, and feel. Add to that the inability to actually die and you have Beryl's Hard Thought technique."

"The Hell Dante imagined would be a _pleasant_ experience compared to Hard Thought," said Jadeite.

"And how would you know?" fumed Ranma.

"Beryl put me in it for several months. If not for the mental techniques we have developed to keep from going totally, I believe the phrase is, Planter's Special from being in the monotonous Dark Kingdom I would have not come out of it was well as I did. Over my 12,000 years in the Dark Kingdom I have seen Beryl use Hard Thought many times on her youma subjects, and in every case no matter how strong they came out of it totally jabbering mental wrecks and looking back I think some of those youma were actually insane after being in there."

"So you see," said Wiseman his features if possible becoming even nastier, "We have something _worse_ prepared for those responsible for the death of your Akane."

Ranma scowled. "That isn't vengeance. That is outright cruelty."

Wiseman laughed it cold, hard, and yet a touch of humor making it all the more unsettling. "Really? I seems that in your quest for vengeance you forgot one key detail – the families of the Sailor Sensei. What of _their_ pain, the cruelty you will inflict on _them_?"

"How much of this is real and how much is showing the dark path you think we are on, _Wiseman_?" asked Cologne as she looked at her counterpart reading nothing in her features.

Wiseman nodded. "Figured of all these people you would be the one to put things together." Wiseman looked at his Jakokusuishou. "I looked into the futures where my counterpart called the Time Space Door's supposed bluff."

"It carried through on it's threat to kill your mother and Kasumi," said Akane softly horror grazing her features.

"My counterpart called the Doom/Death Phantom the 'Worst Wiseman' but compared to what I became in those timelines," Wiseman shivered, "they were anything but. They got _very_ creative about _hurting_ the Sailor Sensei _without_ killing them. The longer they were from Earth the worst it was. Even the one we met, who didn't see them as monsters, had his dark side. I will never forget the scream Neo-Queen Serenity gave when he had her see who knows how many alternate histories."

Wiseman looked at the group. "You are all on the edge of a dark pit and in danger of becoming as bad or worst then who you fight if this escalates."

"Well said, Sensei," said Beryl. Looking up they saw her and Eclipse on top of the Tendo house.

"I take it the reconnaissance went well," said Wiseman.

"Better then expected," Beryl then sighed. "The Inners currently running around are **not** from this world any more then we are."

"What of the Inners that do belong here?" asked Ranma frowning.

"They're dead. They died along with my counterpart months ago. What was running around were ki copies. They were 'turned off' when this bunch were maneuvered into this timeline."

Eclipse slapped her forehead. "Baka. The Ginzuishou."

Beryl frowned for a moment clearly puzzled by the outburst but it was replaced by an expression of total horror. "We were so worried about this reality's Ginzuishou that we totally forgot they have their own Ginzuishou," she whispered.

'And things continue to go pearshapped," groaned Wiseman. "The original Inners are gone and we now have another version of Sailor Moon and her four undead friends..."

"They are alive, Wiseman," interrupted Beryl.

Ranma Wiseman stopped and looked at Beryl. "I honestly don't know if I should be relieved or frighted." Wiseman then waved his hand. "No matter it is clear that the Others, Witches 5, and Black Moon Clan need to be shut down...hard if need be. They and this reality's Ginzuishou not the Inners should be our prime concern."

"Which means turning this from a yin operation to a yang one," said Beryl gesturing with her right hand. Out of the center of the dojo's ruins rose a reddish crystal like sphere sitting atop a redder stand.

"A Hard Thought version of my yin ki ball?" asked Wiseman as he walked over to the sphere.

'Yes. This reduces the need for you to generate the ball allowing more ki to be used to find these maniacs."

"Good. The next move for the moment is theirs."

"Ran...Wiseman, a word," said Nabiki leading him back to Akane's shrine.

"Something's wrong," he said softly.

"Pharaoh 90 was the 'guard' for the Dark Kingdom, right?"

"Right, but...oh kuso."

"I see you spotted the same thing I did. The Dark Kingdom here was a flawed copy, a limited construct likely not designed to last beyond Sailor Moon and Beryl's last battle. Which means it wouldn't _need_ a Pharaoh 90."

"That means…"

"Everything we know about _our_ Pharaoh 90 is likely useless here. That may extend to Mistress 9 as well."

"The Silence…" Wiseman then turned to the inactive Stargate and walked over to it.

"This is my..._our_ crowning achievement," he said putting his hand on Stargate. "It was set up as a way to travel quickly between two places. But then we realized what bending space time meant. The ability to travel not just through space but _time_ as well. Pasts that never were, futures that can never be, presents that aren't our own. In some the Silence would be a _blessing_ as things are twisted beyond all reason; in others the _universe_ has been embraced by the Silence as matter itself has fallen to pieces. We will create one more Stargate and when this is all over no matter how it ends they will be your responsibility, Ranma."

"What is this Silence you speak of?" asked Kuno.

"The ultimate manifestation of the yin power I wield. To oversimplify it is a synonym for Death or Oblivion. But there is _always_ yang to counterbalance it; the Sound of Life or Creation if you will." Wiseman chuckled "Sort of like that English song the _Sound of Silence_. The reality is you can't have Silence without Sound anymore then you can have yin without yang. Even Mistress Saturn's ultimate attack shows this connection: Death _Reborn_ Revolution. Life from Death. Even in those universes where Silence reigns eventually there is Sound. Nothing is forever, not Silence _or_ Sound. Everything has its place and its time."

**~*~RSW~*~**


	3. Ch03 Revelations

Ranma 1/2 is the creation of Rumiko Takahashi and Sailor Moon is the creation of Naoko Takeuchi. This fan-fiction isn't intended for commercial use but is rather a tribute to Ranma 1/2 and Sailor Moon.

This is a continuation of Saotome Ranma, Wiseman Book 1 which should be read first as otherwise little will make sense.

Chapter 3 – Revelations

"For every action the alternative also happens in other reality," Usagi commented to herself as she walked home from the shrine.

"Other reality or other timeline, six of one half a dozen of the other," chuckled a voice right behind her.

Usagi jumped about a foot as she spun around. In front of her was another Sailor Scout a giant key staff in her hand her long green hair reaching her knees.

"Sailor Pluto?"

"In this form, yes," smiled the woman.

Luna was out of Usagi's backpack and on her shoulder. "That implies you have another form as opposed to an identity."

"You're not _our_ Pluto are you?" asked Usagi nervously.

"If you mean the Pluto you knew in your native reality, no. But I am finally home as it were."

"You're from the same reality Queen Beryl and that youma version of me aren't you?" asked Usagi as she took a tentative step back. "The one that used the Pool of Drowned Youma."

Sailor Pluto smiled as her body changed form. The skin took on a light green color and became scaly as a tail sprouting from her butt. Her face morphed into something like a giant lizard's...filled with very sharp teeth. "In this form I am called Chronos Aeon, Guardian of the Gray Moon Clan and the Time Space Doors." Her now unsettling smile vanished. "Whose AI at times seems to have drive me crazy on it list of things to do. There are times," a soft chuckle, "I wish I could go back in time and find the blithering idiot that made the thing self aware and drain them into a freaking coma. A time machine is dicy enough but one that can think for itself? You have had first hand experience with how _that_ turns out...one big mess." Chronus shook her head. "Enough of that. We are in this world to fix its problems and learn how deal with whatever shows up after the Doom Busters and the Black Moon Clan so we're better prepared to deal with them when they show up in our reality."

Usagi was barely processing what this "Chronos Aeon" was saying. Largely because she wasn't powered up, this _creature_ looked like predator from her worst nightmare, and it had both a youma's powers and whatever abilities Sailor Pluto had.

"So, Usagi, what are you going to? You and you friends are in a trap of your own making."

"Trap?" asked Luna.

"They aren't native to this history. The home she is returning _is not hers_ but that of the Usagi that died fighting the Beryl construct the thrice cursed Time Space Door of this world created." Chronos Aeon's eyes narrowed. "Of course that is nothing compared to _your_ blunder, Luna."

"My blunder?"

"Naru."

Luna hung her head. "I wanted to protect the princess."

"The road to Hell is paved with good intentions. Though in some timelines it seems to be a freaking 4 lane highway." Chronos Aeon slumped. "But that still leaves us with the elephant in the room. Where do you go from here? Do you take the easy path and live _someone else_'s life or do you reveal what you really are?"

"If you are really are the Gray Moon Clan's Guardian then you have _already_ decided," spat Luna. "A youma clan's Guardian did whatever was best for the clan even to the point where they could overrule the clan's Head and Advisor."

"Actually, I don't think she has made up her mind," said Usagi's voice from behind Chronos Aeon.

"Clan Head Eclipse," commented Chronos Aeon as Usagi's youma counterpart emerged from the shadows. "Where's our Wiseman?"

"Right here and you better rap this up _fast_. Before _they_ show up." commented a figure in a black robe.

"How long?"

"If we are lucky, like that is ever going to freaking happen, a minute."

"Looks like your luck is as bad as mine, 'Wiseman'," said Ranma as he landed behind Wiseman, spun him around, and punched him into a wall that fell on him.

"Of course we aren't lucky," grumbled Wiseman as he emerged from the rubble. "At least the rest of the Nerima Wrecking Crew aren't likely here...yet."

"Shampoo show you wrong," yelled a scantly clad woman.

Wiseman gestured and the woman slammed into an invisible wall and slid down it to the ground. "Mistress Saturn isn't the only one who can put up Silence Domes. We _all_ can."

Shampoo shook her head and started pounding on the inviable barrier. "Still in obstacles are for killing mode I see," sighed Wiseman.

Shampoo felt a clawed hand on her shoulder. "Hello Lunch." Shampoo spun around to face Chronos Aeon stumbling as she did so.

"Pathetic Chinese Amazon. Beryl was using your people as a quick way to get energy for _millennium_ in our reality. Here you have no resistance and even less idea on how to fight any youma and soon you won't have enough life energy to even stand."

"Shampoo fight…" was all she got out before she passed out.

"She'll be ok in a few hours. Wise youma are always careful with their food."

"Well that was _one_ way to shut down that trip into Bakaland." Wiseman shifted his hooded face toward Ranma. "Why are you here? Don't you trust us?"

"In a word no. Nabiki... _our_ Nabiki, pointed out there were things that just didn't add up with what you were telling us."

Wiseman sighed. "I thought we went over this before we came here. As an Advisor it is my job to give my clan and its allies the best information I have. Heck, I even stated that was true under our honor as a martial artist."

"Nabiki pointed out there were things you didn't say and the way some of what you said was, in her words, weird." Ranma folded his arms. "We can't lie worth a darn...but that doesn't mean you can't leave out certain details or that you are being given entirely correct information."

Wiseman chuckled. "_Our_ Nabiki was right. Yours _is_ a problem. She is of course right. I do leave things vague or phrase them in such a way for people to draw the conclusions I desire. Case in point is your Pharaoh 90. We have no freaking idea what the kuso thing is. One thing we do know is it _cannot_ be the malfunctioning guard of the Dark Kingdom it was in our world."

"So that rambling mess about Silence and Sound..."

Wiseman sighed. "Was a way to encourage your Mistress 9 to join you...especially when you come into the Jakokusuishou." Wiseman gestured to Usagi. "But that doesn't explain why you're here. Nems-chan made it quite clear it was one of the Outers that killed your Akane. She is one of the Inners and isn't even native to this timeline anymore then we are."

"I believe you mentioned something about her accidentally giving everyone on Earth an emotional lobotomy with her Clarktech rock."

"I'm more worried about the Ginzuishou that is native to this world. It is far more powerful and dangerous then the..._trinket_ she has." Wiseman held up a hand. "The Jakokusuishou you will be getting is powerful enough to counter the Ginzuishou of this world. I suspect the Time Space Door was draining the energy of both to create its 'Dark Kingdom' and citizens. But, it will still be more then enough to shut Usagi down if she goes totally ditz on us and uses her version."

"Why don't we skip all that and take the rock away before it becomes a problem?"

"For the simple reason that the Ginzuishou is keyed to the Moon Royal line. That is why those outside that line who have tried to steal it...didn't last long." Wiseman stiffened. "Kuso."

"Just remembered something?"

"Wicked Lady, Sailor Moonbeam's daughter. She overrode the Time Space Door's protocols with the Ginzuishou of her time to come back to tthe past. Odds are her version of the pink haired piece of joy is also here her memories warped by 'Wiseman' so she basically hates her mother's guts."

"Just how many freaking versions of this Clarktech thingy did the Moon Kingdom make?!"

"Two we know of with the most powerful version being left behind in this timeline." Wiseman held up a hand cutting off Ranma's response. "Wicked Lady's Ginzuishou is from _a_ future. Yours or Usagi's I don't know, but I suspect hers. What I do know is this blasted thing has had 1000 years to accumulate power. The one good thing it given the energy used with regards to the Great Freeze odds are it is slightly less powerful then either version is now."

"That's just freaking great. Eclipse is nearly terrified on trying to use her version and she clearly has better knowledge on how the fool thing works. And we have three other versions two of which are in the hands of people who haven't got clue one on how to use them."

"Uh, guys don't think this reality's version of her family is going to start getting worried?" asked Chronos.

"You really need to add Sun Tzu to your way of thinking as I did, Ranma," said Wiseman. '"There are routes not to be taken; there are armies not to be attacked; there are walled cities not to be besieged; there are grounds not to be penetrated; there are commands not to be obeyed."'

Ranma sighed as he walked over and picked up Shampoo and put her over his shoulder. "Ok, you've made your point," he said as he hopped off in the direction of the Tendo Dojo.

"Now that potential disaster is taken care of I believe Usagi has a choice to make."

"I thought…" began Chronos.

"That we would be angry at you? To a degree we are but even I didn't think my skill much less Shampoo's was up to this level. Elder Cologne yes but ours can keeps theirs in check if need be."

"Don't worry Wiseman. I've made my choice."

**~*~****Moments later at ****Tsukino residence.****~*~**

"Usagi where were you? You had us scared that something had happened to you." said Tsukino Ikuko as she hugged her.

"You aren't going to make this any easier for me are you Tsukino-san?"

"Tsukino-san?"

"Just get everyone together. I really don't want to go though this more then once."

After twenty minutes of a somewhat incoherent explanation.

"You expect us to believe any of this...insanity?" asked Kenji

"I really didn't want to go this far but...Moon Planet Make Up."

"Hey, she was nude for part of that!" exclaimed Shingo. "Do it again."

"Young man, please pull your head out of the gutter and get with the program," said Usagi sounding very much like Ikuko when she was angry even as her left eye started twitching.

"Oh, the Sailor Moon stuff is real but alternate realities and timelines? Really?" asked Kenji narrowing his eyes.

Usagi sighed. "You really want me to put all my cards on the table. _She_ should be close." Usagi pulled out her compact. "Eclipse, I know you followed me just in case things went totally south. I need you here."

"Your majesty, with all due respect, have you gone _insane_?" asked Luna.

"Hey, the cat talks just like she said it did," chirped Shingo.

The front door opened and they all turned. There was a near clone of of Usagi only her skin was a gray color walking into the living room. "We do get ourselves into real messes don't we?" Could somebody get me some hot water. My youma form freaks out Luna."

A moment later Eclipse pored the hot water on her head. "Kuso I have to do this more often. Everything is so off I'd be worse then useless in combat."

"Combat?" growled Kenji. "Is that how...our Usagi died?"

"Yes," said Usagi pulling out the Ginzuishou. "But if she had this world's version of this thing it wouldn't have been a problem. It would have brought her and her friends back to life as it did with me in my timeline." Usagi started to squeeze the large diamond. "You should have motivated her to find this thing, Luna."

"I didn't know it had that kind of power," said Luna.

"Heh," chuckled Eclipse. "That is nothing compared to what it did the last day of the Moon Kingdom. Blasted thing killed up to 70 billion people."

"What?" whispered Usagi as she paled.

"Creating an extra dimensional prison and sending over a million people there takes energy...a lot of energy. The Moon Kingdom's technology was entirely life ki based and the crystal took the easiest energy – that which created the artificial atmospheres and when that was gone it went after the people."

"That palace on the Moon," commented Ikuko.

"Yes. And this is a duty she can't abandon. There is there are several things running around that if not stopped could easily kill all of the world's population."

Usagi frowned as she looked at her crystal. "Just how powerful is this thing?!"

"Powerful enough to handle a group of interstellar Sailor Scouts who have left hundreds if not thousands of dead planets in their wake. And its the old version. The newer one is much more powerful...perhaps too powerful."

"Too powerful?" asked Luna puzzled.

"There had to be a reason Queen Serenity was using this version in the final battle between the Earth and Moon Kingdoms. Without an actual instruction manual _this_ version is dangerous...as in a cave man merrily bashing his club against the head of an active nuclear bomb kind of dangerous. A more powerful version without an instruction manual would akin to a cave man juggling a set of antimatter bombs.

And this thing is more powerful then the other Clarktech they cranked out such as a time machine with an AI or the ability to turn a 12 year old girl into a real life Death Star capable of destroying planets. There was even a story in the Dark Kingdom that the asteroid belt was due to Sailor Saturn getting bored and blowing up the planet between Mars and Jupiter. That is of course nonsense but it gives you a rough idea the powers our henshi sticks grant and they are _toys_ compared to the power of this freaking crystal."

"What sort of deranged maniac gives out weapons that dangerous to children?" Ikuko fumed.

"A Swiss cheese brained moon cat named Luna. But to be far she didn't give Saturn, Uranus, or Neptune their transformation pens...the blasted time machine AI came up with _that_ dumb idea."

"Acceptable causalities was the way Beryl described Uranus and Neptune," said Usagi. "If we hadn't stopped them from shattering that statue...it would have been like when I dropped that glass bowl with the overripe tomatoes...only the tomatoes would have been people."

Ikuko shivered at the image and then frowned. "I thought Beryl was dead in both this world and yours."

"She's talking about _our_ Beryl though she prefers to call herself Sailor Nemesis when in costume. She is one of the two people who could give any reasonable accurate information on the Moon Kingdom...well at least the version that existed 12,000 years ago when things went south. The other is Sailor Pluto. Problem is she and good load of obsolete Clarktech was shifted to our reality where there never was a Moon Kingdom allowing the Time Space Door here to basically run amok."

"Run amok?" asked Usagi.

"Your world is too close to ours in terms of history after 1610. A discovery of that magnitude should have changed things to the point the 20th century would have been nearly unrecognizable. And yet in many ways it mirrors our own. Just enough tweeks that things don't quite match up but all the real major changes have been in the last 30 so years."

"You mean the world wars…"

"Happened in our world too though I know some details are different. Does 18 April 1942 mean anything to you?"

"No, should it?"

"It was when the Doolittle Raid happened in our world. You see Japan and the United States were enemies in our WWII. That they messed up on the timing and bombed Pearl Harbor _before_ declaring war didn't help matters. Another key change was we got Jospeh Stalin rather then Leon Trotsky resulting in Nazi Germany invading the Soviet Union rather then other way around. Since the Soviet Union tore up a good part of Germany before they were stopped the Death Camps where the Nazis exterminated 6 to 12 undesirables weren't built here.

So it did make your world better then ours but it still had to tweek things so key events still happened. Like the gas main explosion that required the total rebuilding of this area 50 years ago. Though we haven't figured out why it delayed the moon landing. The United States should have landed on the moon 5 years ahead of us and yet it was the exact same date."

Eclipse's compact started blinking like crazy. "No," she hissed. "That maniac can't be here not this soon." She opened the compact and cursed. She then pressed a button. "Wiseman we have a new problem. My efforts to tie in to the Moon Kingdom's computer system just succeeded and revealed that very large fleet has been making its way though this solar system for _months_. The only good news in the mess is it doesn't seem to be what we would expect from one of Sailor Galaxia's playmates. If anything it seems just above where we were before the recovery of the Moon Clarktech."

"Great another complication to our already messy situation. Speaking of which how is your clean up going?"

"How?"

"I know your personality, your real personality, as well as I know my own. There is no way you were going to leave your counterpart out to dry."

"Well considering we are still both in the house, haven't been called abominations, and thrown out on the street I'd say we're doing fine."

"Good. Having your version of her parents blow up and do something baka was enough thank you very much. I'm going to have Chronos see if she can get anything about our new guests."

**~*~Months earlier, on board the flag ship of the Race****~*~**

"How did the earlier probe miss this?" asked Atvar.

"Likely it was too small to set off this automated system, exulted fleet lord," said Pshing.

"Automated?"

"The small world we are passing is most definitely dead. It is sending signals directed to either a planet of the Tosevite system or an orbiting body."

"But why? Only Tosev 3 is viable for supporting life. Just who...or what is this thing sending its signals to?"

"This is why we woke you up much earlier then is normal. The one thing we are sure of is it is _not_ natural and...is the product of a very advanced space faring civilization that is not ours."

Atvar turned a turreted eye on Pshing. "If you had made that statement before showing me this I would have deemed you insane but the Truth is before us and ignoring it will not make it nonTruth."

"The new probe is sending back images of the closest object that signals are going to."

Atvar and Pshing stared at the impossible image on the screen. Before them was the strangest craft they had ever seen in their lives. Looking like a slowly spinning wheel it hung there quiet and dark.

"What in the name of the Emperor is that thing?" asked Pshing. "It's huge."

Atvar walked over to the probe's read out. "What ever it was it is dead now. No energy and internal temperature is only a few degrees over that of the regional temperature."

"Who would build such a thing and why orbit it around a clearly dead world?"

"I don't know and I don't think any of us will like the answers."

As the months passed the mystery only deepened. Each of the gas giants had the strange craft orbiting it and they had picked up signals from Tosev 3 when probing the craft of Tosev 5 which showed some, however small, signs of life. The travel through the solar system had given the Race more then enough time to decode the message sent by the outpost: To the royal family of the Moon Kingdom. Potential invaders spotted. Outers unresponsive to yearly checks for 12,000 of Sol 3's cycles. Please respond.

"These craft were built by something called the Moon Kingdom," fumed Atvar. "So where in the name of the Emperor are their killer craft?"

"Fleet lord Atvar, there are small craft leaving the craft of Tosev 5. They are ignoring us and heading toward Tosev 3."

"Are any of them killer craft?"

"From their design I'd say no. They are round just like their larger craft but with a dome on one side. Though their speed surpasses any killer craft we have. Nearly a quarter of the speed of light."

Atvar hissed in agitation. Were they part of this Moon Kingdom and if so why didn't they try to fight? Then it dawned on him; perhaps they couldn't. While there was clearly life on this craft if the lights were any indication at best only one percent of the craft was functional. Atvar nodded to himself. This craft was _crippled_. If it had had any killer abilities they likely stopped working long ago. Perhaps the craft on board were in a similar state.

While that bit made sense, nothing else about this did. The Moon Kingdom _could_ explain the far more advanced Tosev 3 that the new probe was showing if not for the context of the automated message. Something had happened to the 'Outers', whatever they were, some 12,000 Tosev 3 cycles ago. The original probe had seen armored barbarians some 800 Tosev 3 cycles ago. The numbers simply didn't line up...unless. Atvar shook his head, no that was beyond insane. But there was one way to check if the insane idea was Truth. The automated message was directed toward three of the planets of the inner Tosevite system and they would pass by one of those planets.

"Send a probe to Tosev 4. Focus its information gathering on where that automated signal is aimed."

"At once fleet lord Atvar."

It didn't take the probe long to find what he had been dreading he would see.

"Fleet lord Atvar, is that a _palace_?" asked Pshing.

"Looks like one." Even half covered by sand the structure was impressive its many spires reaching into the sky though several of them had fallen over.

"But Fleet lord Atvar, the atmosphere of that planet is so thin that unprotected our blood would boil followed by us suffocating to death. What kind of people could live under such conditions to build something like that?!"

That was a good question and yet another mystery regarding this Moon Kingdom. The probe moved to a new location and they got another rude surprise. "That statue...looks like a native of Tosev 3."

Atvar only nodded as he studied the statue. Half covered in sand it stood nearly half the height of the palace itself. On the head was a small object. The Moon Kingdom's equivalent of a crown? He doubted what he was seeing was battle dress but it didn't look like regal clothing either. But then again he was seeing a statue battered by who knew how many cycles of dust storms that could flay the very scales off you. Though to be in as good condition as it was it had to be make of something really hard. As the probe moved around a glint caught Atvar's eye and following up on that they found a body.

Decked out in purple and gold, the colors of royalty, sat a mummified corpse. In front of the figure sat a computer. Did this dying ruler record something for future generations? The probe scanned the computer which then scanned it. Then a message started to play.

"Greetings whoever you are. The small part of the Mercury computer we have has scanned you and turned my speech into something you can understand. I am the Queen of Mars (Tosev 4). Part of me hopes you are survivors of the once great kingdom I was a part of but only Jupiter (Tosev 5) has reported any success with keeping their station functional and they used some extreme measures to do so. Odds are you are from the Earth (Tosev 3) Kingdom...or rather what grew out of what was left of it after the war. Our capital now sits on an airless hunk of rock, three of our space habitats are now tombs, the people on Venus (Tosev 2) are being slowly pressure cooked to death and the people of Mercury (Tosev 1) and Pluto (Tosev 9)...well at least it was relatively quick.

So this is how interplanetary empire that had lasted for 50,000 Earth (Tosev 3) years (cycles) ends. Not in some last glorious battle but slowly limping into oblivion. Well we are warriors and _we_ decide how we die." She pushes a button. "It is time to join our ancestors. With regards to Queen Beryl of Earth (Tosev 3) and our own 'beloved' Queen Serenity; for killing a 50,000 Earth (Tosev 3) year (cycle) empire you can both burn in Hell (land of eternal punishment in afterlife) for all I care." The last Queen of Tosev 4 pushes another button and a hiss could be heard. She twitches and is then dead.

Atvar stared at the screen. The idea forming in his head was totally utterly insane but it best fit all the Truth he had seen up to now. The Tosev system had been home to two highly advanced kingdoms that based on the automatic warning system had effectively destroyed each other some 12,000 Tosev 3 years ago.

What the original probe had seen was not a slowly evolving group of primitives but the decedents of a once great kingdom slammed back into barbarism. Somewhen after the other probe had gathered its data what remained of Tosev 5's people had tried to rebuild an empire on Tosev 3. Now the sudden leap of technology on Tosev 3 made sense.

That said there was one thing that didn't make sense. Why hadn't the Race even heard of the Moon Kingdom? They had been founded some 62,000 Tosev 3 years or 124,000 years on Home predating the first Emperor by a staggering 24,000 years. Perhaps it was the way they conquered that differed but why...then it hit him. One planet could only hold so many warriors but create a habitual zone around dead worlds and you had more warriors in the system to work with. Once you got significant numbers _then_ you went out conquering other systems. Now the mysterious 'space habitats' made sense...frightening sense.

Then something else dawned on him. The Moon Kingdom according to the Queen of Tosev 4 had every planet of the Tosevite system except Tosev 3 under its control and yet the Earth Kingdom held out for 50,000 years and when the battle was joined the Earth Kingdom won. One planet against eight with the larger kingdom's capital on that planet's moon and it still won. But at what cost? Obviously though it had won the Earth Kingdom had been effectively stripped of its technology.

"Send a probe to Tosev 3's moon."

"As you command, Fleet lord Atvar," said Pshing.

Several days later Atvar's fears were confirmed. There sitting under a dome was the Palace of the Moon Kingdom. The dome, and others on the moon, was clearly new. So Tosev 5's efforts to rebuild something from the ashes had clearly succeeded but how far along was Tosev 3?

"Fleet lord Atvar, there is a planetwise message on nearly audio and video system on Tosev 3."

"Put it on screen."

The Tosev 3 native stood nearly twice that of his tallest warrior dressed in royal purple with three companions. One looked like an ancestor of the Race. Long arms ending in sharp claws, a mouth full of sharp teeth and a long tail that lashed around. Its green skin looked natural and it had a long green headdress that reached to its knees. On the other side closest to the figure in purple was a figure in gray with gold trim on the edges of the uniform it wore. Clearly a personal guard. Then was the figure beside gray uniform. It wore a black cloak that seemed to move even through there seemed to be no wind. Black...the color of space and of the mythical void.

"Greetings, well I guess my subjects no longer applies," said the figure dressed in royal purple. "I am Queen Beryl, the last Queen of the Earth Kingdom which, along with the Moon Kingdom, died some 12,000 years ago. No, I am not some insane delusional nutjob and explaining would take way too long and bore most of you. What I will tell you is what we just detected – a fleet of over 500 ships that have been in this system for months. Right now they are near Mars and have sent a probe to our Moon."

Beryl sighed. "I imaging some 'genius' is thinking they can handle this. Put that thought out of your head. Both the Earth and Moon Kingdom had technology so advanced that it might as well have been magic. Thoth who has done a study of your cultures has even coined the term 'Clarktech' to cover it. But a civilization that made Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Pluto _habitable_ and built four space stations that held 10 billion people each was **not** able to do interstellar travel. So getting into a fight with one that _can_ is dumb to the point of suicidal."

Beryl then smiled. "Why we are on the matter of being dumb. I really hope...well perhaps Thoth should explain it."

A figure stepped into range of the camera. It looked like Beryl except for its light blue skin and short blue hair. Atvar noted it was dressed like the statue on Tosev 4. "Using old Moon Kingdom technology we have acquired we have accessed the Moon Kingdom's old defense system and noted that several craft have been flying from Jupiter to a place on this planet." Thoth looked to the figure in black. "Wiseman, what is that place again?"

"The United States of America, State of Nevada, a location called Groom Lake. Supposedly a top secret base of some kind is there but other then the nick name 'Area 51' I got nothing as they say."

"In any case," started Beryl. "Let me be blunt. Unless who ever you are dealing with has a tie in to the main Mercury computer you are effectively being a caveman merrily hitting the head of an active nuclear warhead. You only have to look at the remains of the Moon Kingdom to see what someone who had no freaking idea on what they are doing did with that technology. Worse yet there are bunch of girls running around in this country with Moon Clarktech more advanced then the 'museum pieces' we are working with. Please, let us handle the girls and the aliens. I may be rusty as all get out in interplanetary diplomacy but at least I have some and can apply it to _interstellar_ diplomacy."

"Also we have a group from one of your futures where the leader of the girls tried to 'fix' the world with some Moon Clarktech and accidentally gave everyone who submitted to her rule an emotional lobotomy. They are on a real give me liberty or give me death kick only they are willing to slaughter their own ancestors rather then risk them 'living' under the moron's rule in the alternate future they have now created by going back in time."

Beryl then sighed. "Then there is the we have no idea what the thing really is that claims it is from Tau Ceti, which is about 12 of our light years away. This thing, which calls itself Pharaoh 90, has a very simple goal - consume the life energy of the planet effectively killing everything on it. Oh and there is an interstellar war that is coming this way that could kill everybody in the crossfire."

Beryl frowned. "You may have wondered what Chronos Aeon and Thoth are. They are youma, the descendants of the early attempts at creating one person armies via Clarktech. I wish I could tell you more but that information was _wiped_ from the Mercury computer along with effectively all the early historical records. So odds it wasn't pleasant, ethical, or moral."

"I also want to apologize for the attacks we staged but given Queen Serenity accidentally killed nearly 70 _billion_ of her own subjects simply to punish me and those who were defending themselves from her invasion I didn't want to give what looked like her inner guard enough time to fully figure out their powers. Saotome Ranma, or as we call him Wiseman, convinced_ me to stop that and take this approach._ I know what I have with me may not look like much but thanks to the Moon Clarktech it should be able to handle what is to come. You are going to have to trust me on this."

Atvar stared at the screen. "What in the name of the Emperor have we flown into?"

**~*~RSW~*~**

Author note: I figured the Race was the best way to explore what remained of the Moon Kingdom.


	4. Ch04 The Earth Kingdom

Ranma 1/2 is the creation of Rumiko Takahashi and Sailor Moon is the creation of Naoko Takeuchi. This fan-fiction isn't intended for commercial use but is rather a tribute to Ranma 1/2 and Sailor Moon.

This is a continuation of Saotome Ranma, Wiseman Book 1 which should be read first as otherwise little will make sense.

Chapter 4 – The Earth Kingdom

"You have any idea what you have done?" fumed the Nabiki native to this reality

"Prevented several potentially empty headed idiots that happen to be leaders of certain countries from doing something beyond teaching neko kan levels of baka," said Beryl. "None of the Moon Clarktech we have access to has seen a maintenance man in some 12,000 years so it may _claim_ that the fleet of 500 some ships out there are near on par with our technology but better to err on the side of caution."

"I think she is referring to the fact that both the media and the military will be coming here. We weren't exactly subtle on where our broadcast came from," commented their Nabiki.

"Subtlety takes time and thanks to what is already on our plate time is not something we have in abundance."

"Which is ironic as the main reason we are cut off from the Phoenix Republic was to give our world more time while we cleaned up this world's mess," grumbled Wiseman. "Nearly a million youma and we can't utilize any of them in the likelihood this fleet is hostile."

"Oh my," said Kasumi, "Why is it likely they are hostile?"

Wiseman put his head down his hand rubbing his eyelids as he sighed. "Traveling through space takes a lot of resources. You don't travel outside your own solar system unless you are planning conquest and/or colonization and this doesn't look like a colonization fleet."

"Even if they weren't actively hostile they would still be dangerous," said Thoth. "The likelihood that any two planets would independently evolve compatible biospheres is effectively nil. Unless they are total idiots they had to have sent a probe to this system to evaluate how viable the planets in their goldilocks zone was to their form of terraforming. Though they seemed to have fallen into the same baka trap the Moon Kingdom did with regards to expansion."

"Now _I_ don't understand," commented Wiseman.

"A planet of any reasonable size generates a gravity well. It takes a lot of energy to get out of that well. If you are smart you avoid doing back down another well and instead build space stations that orbit the planet reducing the energy needed to get out of the gravity well. The planet is little more then a mining resource and something for your space station to orbit."

"There is one huge flaw with that," commented Wiseman gesturing with his thumb to the stargate. "But then again you have to have something like the Time Space Door or the Phoenix Republic to make the thing work."

"Speaking of making things work, looks like things went well with regards to Usagi," said Beryl.

**~*~****Tsukino residence****~*~**

Ikuko and Kenji looked at Usagi and Eclipse clearly troubled. "So what happens now?" asked Ikuko. "I lost my daughter and I didn't even know about it thanks to that…" "Time Space Door," finished Eclipse. "There is one other thing you must know," said Eclipse frowning. "Odds are this Usagi won't be able to go home to her timeline."

"Why not?" asked Usagi.

"Because the Time Space Door is in total lockdown mode. Right now the only way we could get them up and running again is a hard reset. That would wipe _everything_ in the memory banks...including the information regarding what timeline it pulled you and your friends from."

"But...what about my parents in that timeline?"

Eclipse looked Usagi in the eyes the pain and sorrow clear in her features. "From their prospective you and your friends never came home. After a while they will assume you either ran away...or are dead."

Usagi hung her head and starting crying. It was wasn't her usual wail but heartfelt sobs. "What happens to me?"

"We take you in," stated Kenji. "From what you have said it was only the advice of this...moon cat that separates our world from yours. You..._our Usagi_ stopped being the outgoing joy filled though somewhat irresponsible child and became a solemn introvert that took things way too seriously. You are the child we lost before...she died."

Eclipse stood. "Well now I know you won't throw her out on the street I'll take my leave."

"But you are no more native to this world then she is," said Ikuko.

"My parents didn't react well to my activities as Sailor Moon or getting Jusenkyo water dumped on my head. I lost it and after reading them the riot act I ran away...right into a youma. I think that is when I started to develop the Eclipse persona – how I thought the Head of a youma clan would behave. The other scouts followed my lead and we all started taking our Responsibilities in protecting our world really seriously...even if it separated us from our respective families. That is why my friends and I were living in our world's Tendo Dojo rather then our respective homes. In retrospect that was a big mistake."

"Damn right it was a mistake, young lady," said Kenji. "I'm seeing a little too much of what our Usagi became in you."

Eclipse chuckled, "I'm seeing that I over compensated...we all did." Eclipse pulled out the Ginzuishou. "But we saw a future where I kept that overly optimistic attitude and accidentally emotionally lobotomized everyone I didn't exile off the planet with this blasted thing. In fact one of our current problems is from one of those futures – the _Black_ Moon Clan."

"All this talk of time travel is making my head hurt," commented Kenji.

"You deal with as regularly as we did and you get use to it."

"Speaking of dealing with things," began Ikuko. "There is the issue of Sailor Moon."

"I wished for a normal life after defeating Beryl...and it didn't last."

"There is a reason for that," said Eclipse lifting the Ginzuishou. "The Time Space Door isn't the only AI the Moon Kingdom made. That is another reason I am very leery regarding using this thing; I don't know how complex its AI even is."

Usagi paled. "You mean the Ginzuishou _thinks_?"

"Yes, but how complex those thoughts are...have no idea. It could be on the level of a small child...or on the same level as the Time Space Door."

"Speaking of complex thoughts," began Luna. "What about your Beryl? From what you have said she is home."

"If she was in her old mindset I would be worried but she has changed. She realized that trying to reclaim or even remake a Kingdom dead for some 12,000 years is nonsensical at best...and deranged at worst. That said she has likely told the whole world about the fleet of 500 some ships heading our way."

"Five hundred?" gulped Usagi.

"If the remaining Moon Clarktech is to be believed they aren't that much more advanced then this Earth. Beryl is the only one with anything even resembling interstellar diplomacy and so has likely taken on the role of speaking for Earth. Unless these aliens are Genma levels of dumb they have found out about both the Moon and Earth Kingdoms. Beryl may give the _impression_ that she is Queen of the Earth Kingdom to these aliens but she knows the Earth Kingdom is as dead as the Moon Kingdom."

"Uh, who or what is Genma?" asked Luna.

"Saotome Ranma's, aka Wiseman, father, the Epimetheus of Martial Arts. He grabbed a book with the Neko-ken it and followed step by step rather then reading it through first. Step one dig a pit. Step two fill it with starving cats. Step three, tie up trainee in fish products. Step four, throw the trainee who can't be more then 10 years old into said pit. Step five, repeat until trainee learns technique. You will know that by them temporarily going insane and thinking they are a cat and you are their new scratching post. Step six, finished reading and find out only a total moronic idiot would train anyone in this technique."

Four pairs of eyes just stared at Eclipse. "That is insane!" screeched Luna finally.

"No that is Genma being Genma...dumber then advertised. The Ranma here still goes cat. Our Ranma, Wiseman, becomes one of his previously lives. Everyone hopes when it happens it is the original Sailor Pluto rather then the Princess Morganite persona. The idea of Wiseman's power and skills being in the hands of an 8 year old who was assassinated some 12,000 years ago in a power play is terrifying to say the least."

"Assassinated?" asked Usaki a cold feeling beginning in the pit of her stomach.

"Yes. Princess Serenity and Princess Beryl both theorized it was Palace politics. You see all the royal line of Earth have youma blood in their veins. Princess Morganite had full youma powers and was good friends with Princess Serenity. In fact, the three of them were playing together on Earth when Princess Morganite was killed."

"I remember now," whispered Usagi. "I suggested it was my own mother, Queen Serenity, or one of her court behind the killing while Beryl felt it was someone in her court." Usagi scowled. "Now I know why my Beryl was so obsessed with killing me and my friends. We were looking for the Princess...so she thought I was Queen Serenity and took my old theory to heart. She was trying to protect the reincarnation of her best friend." Usagi closed her eyes. "If I had only known."

"The scary thing is in this reality Beryl would have been right as the Usagi here _was_ the reincarnation of Queen Serenity. That is why Luna 'knew' she was the 'princess'...the Queen is dead, long live the Queen."

"If she was my mother...then the scouts who were part of this world…"

"Were likely their parents."

"Does...does your Beryl know?"

"I'm not sure. Not that it matters. Though I can tell you Beryl considers Princess Serenity family and can react...badly to anything that she considers a mortal threat to her family."

"How...badly?" asked Kenji.

"As in you will wish you were dead badly. A droid tried to drain me and Beryl totally lost it. I never saw such...sadistic cruelty in my life and I know if you or I are in true mortal danger I _will_ see it again."

Usagi gulped. "If they can't accepted me?" she asked gesturing to Ikuko and Kenji.

"She told you about Hard Thought, right? One to five minutes of that depending on how angry she was and if either of us couldn't calm her down."

"Just...what is this Hard Thought?" asked Ikuko clearly fearing the answer.

"It was the Earth Kingdom's punishment for high crimes."

"She said it effectively encased you in an amber like substance able to see and hear but unable to move, breathe...or die," said Usagi shivering.

"If you want a first hand account ask our Jadeite sometime. It was only due to his being in the utter boredom of the Dark Kingdom for 12,000 years that allowed him to keep his sanity. Even though he'd been in the thing for months. From accounts everyone else was reduced to a babbling fawning possibly insane retch within _minutes_."

"Kama-sama in heaven," whispered Kenji who then scowled. "You are staying here. There is no way I am letting you or her anywhere near that...person."

Eclipse laughed. "I have been around her for _months_. Heck, she is part of my clan. But things in our world have been so hectic that I haven't really been home since becoming Eclipse and I really need to reconnect with my family and you are close enough. So I will accept your offer."

**~*~****Tsukino residence, next morning****~*~**

"Come on, Usagi you are going to be late...again."

Usagi groaned. "What time is it?"

"Seven thirty."

"Luna…" she began.

"Eclipse."

_That_ woke Usagi up. "I thought you were me."

"I am and you need an education."

"What about you?"

"Well I am coming along too."

"Ugh. The teacher is going to think...your going as a youma aren't you?"

"Have to. But I have some hot water so once I show off my ability I can be a 'normal' human. Hopefully I'm not a cold water magnet any more."

Several minutes later at the breakfast table. "Well this is a welcome change, Usagi isn't going to running off to school like a crazy person." commented Kenji. "Speaking of crazy people, the paper shows Beryl made the announcement you said she would, Eclipse." Kenji frowned. "She isn't going to show up at your school is she?"

"Unless the set up she likely made to detect threats shows one at either Juuban Municipal Junior High School or Furinkan High School there has no reason for her to show up at either."

"Did you say Furinkan High School?" asked Ikuko paling.

"Yes. Purple Wiseman found a way to teach people things in minutes that would normally take months or years to learn. While Furinkan High School did have the advantage of being use to the crazy and unusually to the point it was normal I am looking forward at being away from that nuthouse for a while."

"Then the stories regarding it are true," commented Kenji.

"If you mean the stories of martial artists effectively trashing the place every other week, a principal with a Hawaii and hair cut fetish and what looks like a palm tree growing out of his head, and a teacher who changes ages by draining people of their ki then yes. It's all true."

"You said Wiseman allowed you to learn things in minutes that normally take months or years to learn," said Usagi with hope in her eyes.

"I know what you are thinking and no. It was a way for us to be able to be in grades higher then would be possible otherwise. Also it was _Purple_ Wiseman from a particular 30th century that provided that knowledge and it was what _his_ time and place considered important. The best our Wiseman can do is put martial arts styles in your head. Our knowledge has serious gaps. I can give you the exact chemical structure of the four amino acids that DNA is made of but in areas like history I am only slightly better then you are. You and I are going to have to learn things the hard way."

"Blast it," grumbled Usagi who then frowned. "I noticed you didn't correct our father about Beryl being a crazy person."

Eclipse sighed. "Usagi, just because Beryl isn't in a 'I want to reclaim my Kingdom' or 'Sailor Moon is the reincarnation of Queen Serenity and so must freaking die' mode anymore doesn't mean she isn't a little nuts. Think about it. She and her four generals lived for over 12,000 years in a place of perpetual dark twilight watching as generation after generation of her subjects were born, lived, and died of old age. She may not be a danger to us but that doesn't mean she is all there in the head. You heard her, she is so desperate to please the reincarnation of her elder twin sister and gain the respect of the youma she once ruled over that she is willing to go through training that would be considered brutal torture by the Geneva Convention. Remember what she said about Mistress Saturn? Well she wasn't kidding about breaking things. Wiseman took a little look into our most likely future and found out that Mistress Saturn was going to be healing a broken leg, a broken arm, and several broken ribs on a daily basis minimum-Beryl's."

"That is what you meant about 'getting into masochism' isn't it?"

"Pretty much. Beryl hasn't stopped being obsessive. She just changed what she is obsessive about."

"You said Wiseman took a little look into your most likely future..." began Ikuko.

Eclipse raised a hand to cut off the question. "That ability is tied to the Time Space Door which in this reality is in total lockdown. Here he is blind to the future just like most people are. Though even without that ability he has a good idea what kind of situation Beryl has set off."

**~*~Tendo Dojo, several hours later~*~**

"I knew that the media could go crazy but I wasn't expecting this," commented Wiseman as he looked at the area outside the dojo. "Is there any media outlet that _didn't_ show up?"

"I'm more worried about the military," said their Nabiki. "Blast, I really wish I had access to Chapter 13 here."

"Chapter 13? Isn't that some form of American bankruptcy thing?" asked the native Nabiki.

Their Nabiki chuckled. "Ok perhaps we should have named it after something other then the last chapter in Sun Tzu's _Art of War_. From now we'll call it STC13. In a nutshell it is the Phoenix Republic's equivalent of the CIA or MI6. Running it is a lot more rewarding then our old money making methods."

"You run a spy agency?!"

The other Nabiki grinned and then frowned. "Not that it does me any blasted good here. Can't even try to recreate it." She then shrugged. "But I knew that coming here. I'm here mainly to keep your money making ways from blowing up in everyone's face. Though I found out the hard way last night you can still cause problems even if it doesn't involve making money."

"You mean me figuring that things are not quite the way Wiseman painted them."

"We have to paint things in the best light possible given what we knew so you lot didn't wind up killing innocent people. Thankfully if the Time Space Door has created a simulacron of Sailor Pluto odds are it is in a coma leaving us with Uranus and Neptune to deal with."

"And what is a simulacron?"

"An artificial construct in the form of a human being. It may _appear_ to have human emotions but there is nothing truly human there."

"Have that right," commented Beryl. "Well let's get this three ring circus started."

**~*~An hour later on the Race's Flagship~*~**

Atvar sighed. The broadcast had been more local but had provided vital information regarding Queen Beryl. It appeared that the totally insane Queen Serenity had, out of spite, imprisoned Queen Beryl in an extra dimensional prison Beryl and her followers called the Dark Kingdom slaughtering nearly all of her own subjects to do it. More over she had made Queen Beryl and her top generals immune to growing old so they could watch generation after generation of their people, the youma be born, grow up, grow old, and then die of old age. From her statements it was clear the Kingdom she had ruled was long dead but that wasn't stopping her from representing Tosev 3.

"Fleetlord Atvar," Pshing said trembling. "We finally figured out where the star Queen Beyrl called Tau Ceti is. It's Home's sun!"

Atvar paled as much as one of the Race could. He hoped by the Emperor that Queen Beryl was wrong because if she wasn't… "Send a message to Home. I don't know why that _thing_ left us alone but if it finds Tosev 3 too difficult it might decide to return and feast on what it considers easier prey!"

"At once Fleetlord Atvar."

Atvar turned his eyes to the view screen a still image of Beryl's face looking back at him. It took a lot of fuel to get up to 60 percent the speed of light at the start of the trip and an equal amount to then slow down near the destination. Given the primitives they had seen were viewed as an easy conquest in the name of efficiency the colonization fleet had already left Home by the time his fleet had arrived. Also the conquest was going to be so easy the colonization fleet was seen not to need to receive messages. Atvar hoped something could be salvaged from what had turned into a full fledged disaster.

**~*~****Tendo Dojo****~*~**

"I've been thinking," said the Genma from the other world.

Ranma and Wiseman both groaned.

"Ok, I guess I deserved that but right now we have three pairs with the same name. We have to have some way keep them straight. Perhaps the name followed by a number."

"With you being Genma-1? Pops the only one you have is regarding being lazy and stupid," said Wiseman.

"Perhaps, but unlike my counterpart I didn't forget the techniques I sealed."

"You still know the Yama-Sen Ken and Umi-Sen Ken?" the other Genma asked.

"That is only the two styles. What of the Ki-Katana-Wu?"

"What's the Ki-Katana-Wu?"

"Pops, he may have not even invented the Ki-Katana-Wu," commented Wiseman.

"Point taken," said Genma-1. "Think of it as a ki swipe composed of pure vacuum. A very poor man's close combat Death Reborn Revolution,"

Hotura-2 promptly paled.

"Cuts through the strongest door metal or wood like it isn't even there." Genma-1 then frowned. "I sealed it when I realized what it could do to a person. I may have become a thief and con-man but I would not become a murderer. But the droids and possibly this other Wiseman aren't alive to begin with so it can be on the table."

"We've been building a style around lesser versions of Death Reborn Revolution," said Mistress Saturn, "We could incorporate into the Wu Sen Ken style we have been working on."

"I'm giving the styles and the technique to Wiseman as part of his school the Sun Tzu Ryu."

"WHAT?!" yelled Genma-2. "Why would you _give_ something that valuable away?!"

"Because I want someone who has a better sense regarding what is dangerous then we did to be the one to teach them!" yelled Genma-1. "I unknowing created a technique that is similar to one that at full power can destroy a freaking _planet_. I know what we were and I don't trust you not to do something on the level of greedy stupid moron any farther then I could physical throw Soun's house."

Wiseman frowned. "Could be put better but I understand. Pops could we talk somewhere more private?"

"Sure, Wiseman."

Wiseman and Genma-1 walked to where Akane-2's shrine was. "Something wrong?"

"Plenty. You may not realize it but you are acting like a good hunk of the Gray Moon Clan - self abasement bordering on hatred. I may not have much in the way of social graces but even I know that is 'off'."

Genma-1 sighed. "Remember when I ticked off Eclipse enough that she tried to hit him me with a Moon Healing Escalation? I dodged the main attack but there was a practically invisible aura around the thing. Perhaps being part of your clan changed how it worked but I saw some of my possible futures."

Wiseman paled. "How many?"

"Enough to realize if I wanted to not be thrown out of the Saotome clan or have a serious case of dead I was going to have to become better both in martial arts and as a person."

"Still it feels 'off' Pops."

"And this world doesn't?"

Wiseman nodded. "What I like to know is why the Time Space Door kept this world so close in terms of history to ours."

"Can't ask it as it is in shutdown mode. Though ours isn't, Ranma."

"Ranma, not boy or Wiseman. Ranma-1 does have a nice ring to it. Certainly will get my counterpart to learn something actually useful." Ranma-1 smiled. "But our world is slowed down to the point where next to no time passes there. Our Time Space Door can't do anything as there is no time to do anything."

"Been thinking about that. Who says the blasted thing is in sync with normal time? Who needs a suspended animation chamber if it can effect the time around it?"

"And if it can slow down time around...oh kuso."

**~*~Grey Moon Clan's Timeline, outside normal spacetime~*~**

'Blast, I knew somebody would figure that out but Genma? How the freaking blazes did that happen?' thought the Time Space Door. 'Can't scan that world's future thanks to the upgraded version of me being in shutdown mode. Can't create an interface to actively participate in that reality. Don't really want to communicate with my Guardian; she's leery enough as is. Hopefully…'

Chronos Aeon appeared frowning. "That should not have worked."

'Well it was unintuitive as all get out but in retrospect it should have been obvious,' said the text on the Gate.

"To do what you do required you to be _totally_ outside time as we understand it." Chronos Aeon then frowned.

'Oh, I know what you are thinking. Why didn't your Ranma remember this? Well, I was run through my paces for nearly 1,000 years before I got her as a Guardian and they didn't tell her all of my functions.'

"Of course they didn't. I should have known. Being awake here with no one but you to talk to would have caused my mother to become unhinged. It also explains why time seemed to fly by even when I was bored out of my skull." Chronos Aeon scowled "You were making time here pass slower."

'Not just here but also in Sailor Saturn's "special room".'

"Why the hell didn't you tell me?!"

'Because you'd get angry and I needed you focused.'

"Right. Pull the other one it plays jingle bells." Chronos Aeon sighed. "Ok, what can you tell us about our visitors."

'They call themselves The Race and have conquered two other planets over the course of 14,000 years.'

"Only two planets in 14,000 years? Wow, that is slow. I take it expansion isn't their thing."

'That is putting it mildly. This battlefleet took them 800 years to organize and they were expecting to conquer the planet in days. What they have learned about the Earth and Moon Kingdoms has scared them but it is nothing compared to Pharaoh 90. Seems Tau Ceti is their home star.'

"I imagine they are in panic mode right now. Anything about this other Pharaoh 90?"

'None. It seems to be, as they say, "what it says on the tin". Oh, the colony ship will be showing up in 20 years given their records.'

"Great. Another problem to deal with but we are not staying around for 20 freaking years to fix it. By the way are we going to have to deal with these people in our world?"

'There is a fifty percent chance of them visiting us before we visit them in the timelines I can scan. Of course, my scan is limited to the Sol system and where we set up stargates. Oh and your assumption that their world was made to resemble your own is correct. Must say my counterpart is _good,_ the energy signature its just above background when it did meddle. I couldn't see it until you were in that reality. Good thing my counterpart is offline; it is far more devious then the most scheming of Doom Phantoms.'

"Well that is something. Give me details on this Race's fleet. I want them thinking we are far more advanced then we are."

'While I am doing that do you want me to also alter the time dilation so you are in sync with the Phoenix Republic?'

Chronos Aeon snickered. "They didn't have to be in sync with our reality any more then you are. Telling us this would have solved a lot of problems."

'I needed a better "lay of the land" as it were. But doing that will cut them off from the stargate network here and what is going through yours isn't going to be enough.'

"So we are going to be back to the ki draining days of the Dark Kingdom. Beryl is going to _love_ that. Will make proving Beryl's story easier."

**~*~Later that day at the ****Tsukino residence****~*~**

"I have got to stay human longer," said Eclipse as she grabbed a biscuit. "I'd nearly forgot how good food tasted."

"They don't know how to cook at the Tendo's?" asked Ikuko.

Eclipse laughed. "Kasumi knows how to cook and then some. The problem is youma have a whole different set of taste buds. Food like this tastes bland while the Phoenix Republic's food and water has a very distinctive pleasant taste."

Ikuko frowned as she heard the doorbell ring. "Now who could that be?"

"If the ki I am felling means anything," Eclipse then sighed. "It's Beryl."

Kenji paled. "What's she doing _here_?"

"Likely to tell me something that couldn't wait."

Ikuko nervously got up and opened the door. She soon returned with Beryl right behind her.

"Usagi, Eclipse, I need some advice."

"Isn't that what Wiseman is for?" asked Kenji nervously.

"Normally yes but in this case…" Beryl sighed "This is going to take a while to explain."

Several minutes later. "No wonder you came seeking my advice," said Eclipse.

"Not just yours but Usagi's as well. The idea has merits but there is a large downside to the benefits."

"For the Phoenix Republic to be in sync with this world it will be limited to the energy going through one stargate. But I need to stay on this side of it which means the youma are going to have to feed on life ki here."

"You have got to be kidding, Beryl," said Luna. "Sounds like you want to restart your world conquering project."

"No, _I _don't but I can't guarantee the government of the Phoenix Republic won't pick up where that shadow copy of mine left off. Wiseman doesn't realize it but he gave the Phoenix Republic a bad case of Manifest Destiny with a side order of something akin to White Man's Burden. They are hopped up on the idea of becoming grander then the Moon Kingdom and are seeing what they can do with the resources they have to realize that dream. And now after 12,000 years they have access to their real home."

"But that access will end when you return home. Won't it?" asked Ikuko.

"That was the plan but like so many other things we didn't quite think it through. By setting up the Stargate here we created a permanent door to our network. The gate is designed to take a point blank full strength Death Reborn Revolution. Heck, you could chuck the thing into a supernova and it wouldn't even scratch it."

"Great, to make sure this world isn't destroyed may have just given access to a group of potential world conquers," groaned Eclipse.

"We stopped that in our world. Why not this one?" asked Usagi.

Beryl sighed. "That was because I was an impatient military moron. More over they aren't going to hide what they are doing."

"What? That makes no sense," commented Luna.

"Actually it does," said Eclipse. "Wiseman introduced the idea that energy can be changed from one form to another. Heck, the youma of my world just figured out how to drain the energy of fat cells. They are getting ki energy out of America like crazy just with the pilot program. When it goes fully national they'll have more ki then they know what to do with."

"Yep. 'Why take weeks or months to loose that unwanted fat when Fat Drain can take it away in minutes.' Out in the open and above board as they say." Beryl shook her head given a short humorless laugh. "We got more energy out of the pilot program then Jadeite did with all of his covert missons."

"Forget Crystal Tokyo's version of Huxley's Brave New World. Welcome to Phoenix Republic's version which will keep all those emotions people so prize," commented Eclipse. "I say we go for it. With us here we can keep an eye on them and curtail any excesses."

"What do you say, Usagi?"

"As your advisor I say we reject this insanity," growled Lina.

Usagi closed her eyes and sighed. "They are going to get involved in this world regardless of what we do. All keeping things as they are now will do is delay their arrival. As Eclipse said we can keep an eye on them." Usagi opened her eyes. "Besides I believe in giving second chances."

"Princess, that is recklessly naive," scolded Luna.

"Would you rather she become like me or what she was in this world?" chastised Eclipse. "Luna, your concerns boarders on McCarthyism levels of paranoia. Heck, in my world you suspected _Ami_ as a possible threat." Eclipse sighed. "That said there aren't problems. Youma have totally distain for power that comes with little to no sacrifice. You will need to prove yourselves to them, just as we did." 

**~*~RSW~*~**

Author note: Per Turtledove it took the colonization fleet 20 years to cover the 12 light years between Tau Ceti and Sol. This works out to 60 percent the speed of light.


End file.
